Kizuna
by WindRyder1
Summary: (AU) It was an animal—a fox—but it was also a kid. Yu had never seen anything of that combination before in his life. It had to be a child playing a game in costume. That idea quickly dissolved when the fox-boy's ears twitched. They and the tail were real. What kind of creature had he stumbled upon? ((Kizuna "Linked" or "Bond" defines an intangible sense than a word.))
1. 1st Scent: The Box

**((Ok, I thought I'd post this here as the new CHAPTER 1 instead of making it it's own story. (Yu and Yosuke's tale starts on chapter 2) There are elements in this you need to know for the rest of the story. I just pushed everything over by 1 chapter. My friends love this idea, and ran to China with it with fan art, too. They are such enablers.))**

* * *

_KIZUNA: The Box_.

She'd awakened when something rough slammed into the box she'd been put into. Someone had dropped it. The sound of wind, a battle cry, and a deep roar of defeat snared her focus. Her ears pulled forward. Whatever the creature was that made that horrific sound had met its end with an unseen weapon. And something powerful. She could feel it.

She yawned and shook her head, fighting the need to go back to sleep as she listened to a man's voice cry out an attack, followed by more monsters bellowing in agony. A great battle waged outside the box. Her curiosity to discover the truth gave her the strength to wake up when she'd start to nod off again.

A pale red light leaked through the closed slats enough for her to see the forms of two others nearby fast asleep on a bed of towels. At least they were until the impact woke them up. It wasn't a large box, but could comfortably fit the three of them. The little dog demon blinked tiredly, stretched, then curled back up with a whimper as he fell back into sleep. The little fox demon rolled over onto his stomach on the towel, facing her. He was the tallest of the three, so his bare feet were flat against the opposite side of the box. He could barely keep his eyes open, though he managed a weak sound of confusion to his friend as they locked gazes. He wasn't strong enough to fight the urge to sleep, and was soon curled back up in slumber.

She mewed in kind, but he was already unconscious. The desire to sleep pressed down on her once more. She almost gave in, but snapped awake when the box shook again. This time, it continued in a steady slight bouncing motion, as if someone was carrying it. Both boys were still asleep, though she couldn't figure out how they could stay that way through the jostling movement. She stretched, bumping into the fox-boy demon, who grumbled and buried his face in a towel. Her small dark blue ears twitched as she stood, using her slim tail for balance in the darkness, and pushed up a corner enough to see outside. She could barely see over the edge. Swirling black and red color oozed across the blue sky overhead, covering it in its murk. A verdant hill to the side morphed into a twisted pile of metal rigging and girders when the red stain leached over it. The ground cracked, the sunlight dimmed, and the beauty succumbed instantly to the oozing infection. It looked like something was contorting the whole world –and everything in it- into a sinister version of itself.

She blinked and rubbed at her eyes with the too-long sleeves of her dark blue shirt. A thick fog rolled toward them just behind the red stain, threatening to crush them. Somehow, the one carrying the box barely managed to stay ahead of the influence. He ran at full tilt toward...

She scrambled over the other sleeping lumps of the fox and dog demon, and peeked out the front. She had to stand on the dog demon puppy to see, which didn't seem to bother him that much beyond a whimper and a foot scratch at his black floppy ear. She, too was exhausted, but curiosity kept her eyes open. She glanced up at the silver wavy hair of the box carrier, to his red and gray uniform with letters reading – MOEL- then up ahead at a quickly approaching large black window with a dial on the side. The man wouldn't stop. In fact his pace picked up as the scene around them bled in toward a focal point just behind the window. She scrunched her eyes shut, fearing they would slam into it. Instead, the man dove through, box and all, sending ripples along the window's surface. It swallowed them up like a hungry monster.

The red stain barely missed the man's foot. It consumed the rest of the beautiful world, and their escape window.

The little cat demon fell back to the towels with a meow in surprise. The vortex propelled them to who knew where. All she knew was that the trip was steadily making her more nauseous and sleepy the further away they traveled from the red foggy world. If only she knew what it was. Everything and everyone it touched turned black. Their eyes glowed jaundiced-yellow before being engulfed by the fog.

A heavy thump told her they'd stopped. She flopped backward over the fox demon. The next sound she heard beyond the silver-haired man's quick footsteps was water pattering the closed box. The chill air was making her ill. She curled up next to the fox demon for warmth and comfort, and closed her eyes in favor of the sleep that begged to take her away from the sensations. Nothing about the air outside felt natural at all. It was light, and she felt light-headed in it. Whatever was chasing them was gone, so she let herself obey the call of sleep.

* * *

The next time she woke up, the box was open, and they were inside a room with an overhead light. She could see through the high window that the storm had broken up and the sun was shining. She looked over the passed out form of the fox demon, but they were the only two in the box. The dog demon puppy was gone, leaving only his imprint on the towel. She nudged the fox demon with her tiny hands.

He grumped and curled up.

She bit his ear and pulled.

"Yip!" He jerked away, scowling at her and flicking his tail.

The tiny cat demon mewed slightly and pointed to the empty towel space.

He looked, then back to her with a questioning noise.

She couldn't answer him. She didn't know where the other young demon had gone. She didn't even know why they were in this box, or where they were, and her friend didn't know any more than she did.

He curled up with his arms crossing over his stomach and groaned.

The nausea had hit her, too. What could she do about it? What could she tell him other than to just breathe until is passes.

He gave her a short simple 'yarf' in response.

She narrowed her eyes at his tone. Of course it would pass! Who would want to constantly live like they wanted to puke? He could be such a whiny little shit sometimes.

Footsteps pulled her away from her irate companion.

"Good, you're awake. I was afraid the trip through the portal would be too much."

She looked up at the face of the box carrier. He wore a cap with light silver hair curling out from beneath it, and a smile. She didn't know him at all. Ignoring the want to curl up against the nausea with the fox demon, she stood in front of him instead and hissed.

The fox demon turned his sleepy gaze up at the man.

"Easy, little one. Your friend is going to be fine." He gently put the small dog demon back into the box.

When she'd first seen him, his ears and tail were entirely black. Now only one ear remained the shade of onyx. She kept her eyes on the giant. It took her a moment to realize the three of them were wearing oversized clean shirts. The fox demon in white long sleeves with a red v-neck collar, the dog demon in red, and she in her familiar navy blue.

"I almost didn't get to him in time." He ruffled the ears of the dog demon. "I removed as much of the taint as I could, but I still fear for him. I'll need you two to keep an eye on him." The man put two orange bowls into the box – one with food, and one with water. The fox demon moved enough to sniff the food, then curled up. "Ah, right." he reached in, touching a fingertip to each of their heads.

At first she wanted to bite that finger off, but when the nausea disappeared, she rethought her reaction. It would be illogical to bite the hand that heals you. The fox demon seemed to be doing well as he picked up a handful of food and devoured it.

"It's a side effect of crossing boundaries. Normally being over here will make you sick until you go back, but you won't have to worry about that anymore. You should feel better soon."

She mewed.

The man just smiled. "I almost didn't make it, but I had to at least get you out of there. You three are the luckiest cat, dog, and fox demons in the world." He stood, then moved to the other side of the room.

She and the fox stood to look over the edge, though she had to climb on to his back to see. The room was a type of garage without any kind of vehicle. Tools lay scattered around on benches, oil stained the floor around a rack that looked like it could hold something heavy above the floor, and it smelled of grease and cleaner. She noticed the same letters on a few of the drawers as was on the man's uniform.

Her friend yipped in demand to know what had happened.

"All you need to know is that you're safe. I have a plan. Just be yourselves, and you'll figure it out." The sound of a car pulling up outside interrupted.

They watched him walk out the door to great the new customers, and could catch bits of the conversation.

"So, you in high school?"

"Yeah,"

"We need some part timers here. Interested?"

"No thanks."

"Still trying to get used to how dull it is compared to the big city? You'll be bored to tears if you don't have a job, or somethin'. Hey, look. Just give it some thought. Sound good?"

"Yeah. Sure."

Both young demons strained to hear in the silence that followed.

"Cool," they heard the attendant's voice. "All right. Back to work, then."

"Are you ok?" A little girl said. "You look bad. Are you car sick-ey?"

"I'm fine. It passed."

The attendant walked back into the garage at that moment and up to the box where he crouched down to their level. His tone of voice changed completely. "You need to go back to sleep now." He grinned. "Don't worry. You'll be exactly where you need to be. Just remember what I said." Gently, he ruffled the fox and cat demon's hair with both hands to reassure them.

She and the fox-boy flopped back to the towels, once again overwhelmed with sleep. Her fight against it weakened as her questions faded away with memories of the red world. The little cat demon struggled to remember why she needed to stay awake. She leaned heavily against the other two, hearing the fox demon ask where they were going. Soon, he, too, was out cold.

The gas station attendant closed the box again, leaving his face the last thing she saw before she lost the battle.

* * *

_The next day, early morning_...

"'Adachi, where's my coffee? Adachi, get me some sausages. Adachi, stop staring like you didn't go to college.' Sometimes I wish Dojima would get _me_ coffee with all the hard work and overtime I put in for him." The man frowned. Of course, Ryotaro Dojima was the best, and if he wanted to learn every nuance of being a good detective, shadowing the older man was the best way to do it.

He cut sharply across the street to the gas station and stepped out into the crisp morning air when the attendant greeted him.

"Hey, what can I get ya?"

"Regular. And do you have a pot of coffee going?"

"Sure do. Just started it, so it may be a minute."

Tohru Adachi rolled his eyes. "Awe man, just my stupid luck." He was already late to work. Even if he did show up with the town's most amazing brew, he was bound to be stuck with paperwork duty. "Charge me for the biggest cup you have and a bottle of aspirin for when he reams me a shiny new one for being late."

The attendant's reply met with air, because the young detective had disappeared into the gas station market. He smirked. The pot would take a good five minutes to percolate, which gave him more time than he needed. He hooked the lever on the gas handle deftly with one finger to lock in the auto shut-off, and left it to fill the tank while he walked back into the garage.

The box was still closed in the corner. His little guests would be waking soon. Carefully, he opened the four cardboard folds. The three were still fast asleep, and the bowls were empty. The fox demon was in the middle, sprawled out over as much space as possible. The dog demon muffled softly into the towels from a dream with his legs up against the side of the box and his head over the fox demon's arm. The cat demon formed a tiny ball completely curled up into her long, long-sleeved shirt up against the fox, whose tail wrapped over her like a blanket.

The three of them had started out as friends, but the attendant noticed that the other two tended to give the dog demon more space since they got here. That worried him the most. Demons who form bonds this young carry them throughout their lives, no matter who it's with, or how far apart they travel. He could tell the dog demon's brush with darkness started to eat away at that bond. Without it, his future was grim. The attendant gently pet the dog demon's ears.

It looked up at him briefly with solid black eyes and a blank expression, as if it could see through the attendant's own disguise.

He would do the best he could, -he'd already set the wheel in motion with that transfer student and the young detective in the store, as well as another he would soon visit, but ultimately, it was up to these three to follow the clues. This would be a trial for each of them, but when they find each other again, they'll be stronger for it, and there just might be hope for that world.

The clock clicked over to 8:00am. He gently lifted the cat demon out of the box in both hands. The little fox yawned broadly and curled up where his companion used to be.

He moved quickly out of the garage, cupping the smallest of the three in his hands.

Opening the backseat door to Adachi's black sedan was a simple matter of passing his finger over the locking mechanism. The lock popped up on the inside. He opened the door and gently set the cat demon on the seat. Thankfully, Adachi had been too busy to remember to grab his jacket, so the attendant covered the little creature with it.

"Follow your instincts and find the truth," he whispered.

The cat demon yawned and stretched out beneath the jacket. Her navy blue tail poked out from beneath.

He locked the door and closed it, then moved back to the gas pump. With a swift, smooth motion, he unhooked the catch and stopped the meter right at 'full.'

Adachi marched out with a large cup of coffee in hand, and a bottle of pain killer.

"Hey, sorry I didn't get in there to help you," the attendant smiled. "Your car was nearly on empty. She's all set."

"Eh, that's fine. I left some money on the counter. Keep the change or put it toward my next coffee."

"Will do." The attendant tipped the brim of his hat.

Adachi took his place in the driver's seat, turned the ignition on, and sped away from the station into town toward the Inaba police department.

* * *

The car stopped briefly at a stop sign, then turned right to the middle of town. The motion pulled the small cat demon from her sleep. Too much had happened to her in the last couple of days, that all she wanted to do was curl up with her friends and go back to the way things were. ..If she could remember the way they were. She'd been somewhere else before, with two others, but the memories were hazy. She fought to recall the face of the attendant, though it repeatedly slipped away, like it was trying to hide from her. Their smell was still on her shirt, so she inhaled deeply. It was powerful enough to draw a few of the memories out of the darkness. She held on to them –the faces of her friends, the box, glimpses of a red sky swirled with black-and was relieved when those stayed. Maybe there was more, maybe not. Either way, this was all she had. She mewed softly and curled up into the memories of the fox and dog demons. Sure, the fox demon could be annoying, and the other was just weird, and gave her a bad vibe, but they were her companions. They were together in the box. Why weren't they here? Where were they, and why was she alone in something else that was moving? She feared it was taking her too far away to ever see them again.

She lifted her head and sniffed the air. The floor beneath her feet was different, fuzzy, and it was a dark charcoal gray. Plus, the heavy scent of cologne threatened to overpower her sense of smell. What kind of beast had to severely disguise their own odor? It must be incredibly rank by nature. She wiggled over to look down at a travel can of body spray on the floor.

She sneezed. Then hissed at it.

"Hm?" Adachi pulled the car into a parking space at the station and shut off the engine. He glanced into the rear view, though couldn't recall moving his jacket to the back seat. He reached back to grab it when it moved. He froze as the cat demon's head popped into view.

Her ears twitched once.

They stared at each other for the longest minute to ever exist in the history of awkward moments. It wasn't a cat, but it looked like a really, really tiny child.

'Mew.'

"Holy Jesus!" Adachi jerked back against the horn, making it honk once.

The sudden loud noise startled the cat demon into a fit. She scrambled out from under the jacket and onto the side seat looking for a way out.

Adachi rammed his hands against the door latch several times before it opened and he spilled out to the pavement. "What..what the... How did you get in my car?!"

Finally, an escape route! She dashed out of the car and ran straight for the nearest open door.

He stared after her, watching the creature run on two legs, then bound inside the police station on all fours. "Oh no... I'm so dead. Wait! Get back here!" He got to his feet, slammed the door of his car, and ran inside.

She ran through the hall, dodging a woman in a business suit and heels. The sleeves of her shirt kept getting in the way, so she shifted to running on two legs. That decision failed her when she reached a sharp corner. She tumbled behind a trash bin and knocked it over. Papers scattered all over the light colored floor.

"Hey! Stop! S'cuse me, Mrs. Shirogane," Adachi nearly ran into the same woman. He barreled forward. "Someone stop that cat! Whoa!" He'd stepped on a grease paper from someone's breakfast burrito that was once in the trashcan, and faceplanted near the stairs.

The little demon's tail flicked from side to side as she looked at the skinny, clumsy man, and smiled slightly. She sort of liked this guy, though she still wasn't about to trust him.

"You. How did you get in my car? What are you?" His eyes widened when she took off up the stairs in a dark blue blur. "Little shit's fast. No, not up there! G'yah!" He took the steps two at a time to the second floor, then stopped, puffing and panting as he looked swiftly from side to side. He ran for the first door, an interrogation room. Nothing there. He moved on from door to door, room to room. She had to be on this floor, and he had to catch her quickly before she ran into-

"Adachi! Where's my coffee?!"

-Shit.

Dojima poked his head out of the main investigation room where the desks of Inaba's detectives were kept, including theirs. "I don't see a cup in your hands. Are you _trying _to get paperwork duty?"

"No, sir. I left it in my car, but I was chasing this cat through the hall and-"

"A cat? In the precinct?"

"Well, it's not really a cat in the traditional sense. It's more of a cat...'thing.'"

Dojima studied the newbie good and hard, looking for any sign of senility. "Right... Boy, they're comin' out of the academy more and more green these days."

"I'm telling you, sir, it looks like a kid, but it's got ears," he put both hands on top of his short cropped dark hair, "and a tail," he waggled his hand behind his butt –as if this explanation needed charades, "but it was only as tall as a ruler, and I was-"

"I've heard enough. Either get your ass in here and get to work, or go to the break room and get me my coff-"

The same blue streak of ears, hair, shirt, and tail rushed past Dojima's feet into the office room.

"Wah, there it is!" Adachi pushed past his superior to chase it down. He dropped down when it ran under a vacant desk, then stood and looked around. "By the window!"

Shenanigans had been called. They now demanded the attention of the five other people in the room.

The cat demon climbed a bookshelf, hauling herself up at the expense of a couple of books, and jumped to the desk next to it. She ran across manilla folders stuffed with papers, knocked office supplies to the floor, dodged coffee cups with cheesy sayings on them, and ran across keyboards, all to avoid the grasping hands of the humans chasing her. Her footsteps left random letters across computer screens, and she even turned on a Vocaloid screensaver when she tripped over a wired mouse and hit the 'sleep' button. She stood with her back to a Caramel Dansen Rin, Len, and Miku gif and caught her breath.

She turned to look at the screensaver, and cocked her head to the side with one ear quirked down in confusion. What was this? She raised both hands in a mimicking motion to her ears for a moment, but shook her head.

The little cat demon was officially ready for this chaos to be over, although a small part of her enjoyed the thrill of the chase.

"Adachi. You flank it from the right, I'll go from the front. Myomoto, take the left and guard the door," Dojima softened his voice.

She smirked. Really? They were missing one vital escape route in this scenario. She grabbed a rubber band with a paperclip, jumped up, avoiding Adachi's hands, and slingshot the paperclip at Dojima's forehead.

He cried out and covered the new red mark on his face, though it gave the tiny creature the out she needed.

She launched herself off of his back onto a rolling chair, pushing it with inertia, and leaped to the floor. She rolled to a stop in the hallway, dizzy. That hurt more than she'd expected. Grunting from a pain in her left foot, she stood. Her tail whipped from side to side for balance. When she looked up, she was surrounded. The mischievous smile on her face disappeared. She was in real trouble now.

"See, sir? What I tell ya?"

"It's not a cat, or a kid," someone else said softly.

"What is it, then?" Myomoto wondered.

"Whatever it is, we need to get it to a shelter or something," another detective said.

Her eyes widened and her ears drooped. Somehow, the word 'shelter' brought up an image of the box, only much more harsh and lonely. She would surely never see her friends again. She stepped back, turned when she got too close to Dojima, and backed away again.

A deputy called to the circle of people to move to the side so they could pass. He tightened his grip on a high school student's forearm to pull him by. Behind him, another deputy walked with a young man who wasn't restrained at all, and followed behind. The first boy was blond with a skull and crossbones tattoo on his left upper arm.

It was the first time she'd seen someone with that color hair outside of the dog demon's one ear and tail.

"I'm tellin' ya, you got the wrong guy!"

"Keep your mouth shut, Tatsumi," the deputy snarled.

"So, yeah, I roughed up the leader of the gang a little, bloodied his nose, but it was just between us. Mano a mano. An honor fight. I don't know who the hell took on the rest of them!"

The other boy following behind frowned deeply beneath black eyes and dirty hair. His frown shifted slightly to a smirk.

The little cat demon looked from one to the other as they walked by. She locked eyes with the blond one for a moment, and sniffed the air. That was enough for her.

"That Tatsumi kid, causing trouble again. Some people are just bad eggs."

Despite the pain in her foot, she had to trust her instincts. She took off in a run at the other boy and dove at his leg. Without thinking, she sank her teeth into his thigh.

He screamed in pain and tried to shake her lose, hopping around the hallway.

She held on, climbed until she reached his back pocket, and grabbed something from it. He spun around, finally catching her and smacked her back to the floor. She cried out at the impact and curled up, clutching her red cloth prize. That hurt worse than the jump from the chair. She missed her box and the fox demon.

A deputy and Adachi had to calm the boy down as he shouted obscenities to the little cat demon about how it attacked him, and should be put down. It could have rabies.

She whimpered, not knowing what any of that was, just that she hurt.

Mrs. Shirogane had followed Adachi up the stairs and watched the proceedings until now. She'd witnessed everything from the chase in the offices to the attack. What everyone failed to notice except for her was the strip of red cloth held in the tiny clenched fist of the creature. She knelt down and gently took the fabric to unfold it. The letters RR stood out in black script, and there were blood stains on the color.

"Detective Dojima?" She stood. "I think you should see this." She held out the cloth.

He took it, turning it in the light to look it over, then regarded the boy. "Where'd you get this?"

"It's mine."

"Its' initials are RR. Who does this belong to?"

"Fine, it's belongs to a buddy of mine."

"A buddy in a biker gang? If I recall, RR – Riku Rinkosu –was in here last month for trying to hold up Konishi Liquors, and this is his signet. You're a part of that gang, too, aren't you."

"I don't know what you're talking about! I'm just here to give my testimony!" The boy started to back up toward the stairs. A deputy grabbed his arm to stop him.

Dojima looked to Kanji Tatsumi, then to the boy. "See, he took the rap for that hold up, but we later found out that biker gang was involved. Profits didn't split well between you?"

"You got it all wrong!" The boy demanded, starting to sweat.

The little cat demon hissed at him from the floor. He was spouting pure bullshit, and she could smell it as strongly as Adachi's cheap body spray.

Dojima stood nose to nose with the kid. "Really. Because if there's blood on here that doesn't match the leader of the gang, but matches someone else in the gang, you'll be in a world of hurt."

The teenager's eye twitched. He was trapped. "I... I... I was sick of them treating me like a kid! Sick of it! I deserve respect!"

The older detective backed up. His tactic had worked. "Get him out of here." A deputy pulled the boy's wrists behind his back and lead him down the hall to a holding room. Dojima turned to the original suspect. "You're off the hook, Tatsumi. I don't want to see you in here again."

Kanji frowned, and nodded. He wasn't sure he knew what had just happened. His gaze locked on the small cat creature as Mrs. Shirogane picked it up. It mewed as though it were in pain, and Kanji grit his teeth. Something that small and cute should never be in pain.

She held it in her hands carefully. "You'd better thank this little one, Kanji. She just saved your ass."

"A cat...thing?" Kanji touched the creature's ear. It was as soft as angora fur.

She looked at him, snarled a little, but let him be. He made her feel uneasy, though nowhere near the level of that punk brat they just hauled away. She mewed at him lightly and locked eyes. Something within her changed.

His eyes dilated at how adorable this thing was, but he quickly looked away, praying no one saw that. Kanji stuffed his hands in his pockets, wanting to thank the little thing, and wanting to keep petting it even more, but he stepped back instead and cast his eyes to the floor. He let his gratitude pour out in his mind, though it would never be voiced beyond, "Whatever it is then. It's hurt. Probably should get it looked at. Does it... have a name?"

"Since she doesn't have a tag, I suppose we should call her something." A twinkling idea lit up in her eyes. "You name her. Call it your payment."

Kanji stepped back. "What? Why me?" He could have gone off on a tangent, but Mrs. Shirogane gave off the kind of aura that was both disarming and dangerous. Plus, being in a police station, he had to be very careful of his words and actions until he was outside.

"She can tell when someone's being truthful or not. I know. What do you think of 'Naoto?' I know it's a boy's name."

"Huh," he tried. "It fits, I guess. And I do owe it—her—one." He conceded. Kanji bit back his pride for a moment to ruffle her ears again. "Yeah, I like the name. Ok," he scratched behind her ear, allowing himself one more second to enjoy the softness, "Naoto is her name, now."

Mrs. Shirogane smiled. Animals were always amazing at breaking through a persons tough exterior. This little one didn't have to work hard at all to get through his. "Thank you, Mr. Tatsumi." Kanji walked away down the stairs, glancing back at the cat girl before heading out.

Naoto. A truth seeker. That is one thing she clearly remembers. '_Follow your instincts and find the truth_.' The little cat demon watched him until he was out of sight. He wasn't that bad. … maybe.

"I believe you were looking for this," Mrs. Shirogane turned to face the two men again. The office had gone back to normal. "You said you found her in your car, right, Adachi?"

Adachi scratched the back of his neck. "Yeah, but I don't know how it got there."

"Then you should keep her."

"What? Nah, I can't take care of a...cat... thing...girl...whatever it is." He held up his hand. "You keep it, or report it, or something."

A dispirited sound escaped from the cat demon.

Mrs. Shirogane stared at him with deep brown unblinking eyes. "Then write up a report. Do you really want to explain this to the Chief- To my husband? How an unknown, foot-tall, feline-like creature with a human appearance solved a case in five minutes? I didn't think so."

Naoto looked up at the kind woman curiously. So far, she'd gone against everything she'd experienced from these people.

"We can't have a cat running through here," Dojima said.

"She's not a cat. She's a... well, I guess we can figure that out. She's a mystery." Mrs. Shirogane scratched the ears of the little creature in her hand. "Smart, too–I saw what she did to you with that rubber band and paperclip. You can put that in your report, too, Adachi. Besides, look what she just did. She seems to have a nose for justice. This place could use a mascot."

Dojima rolled his eyes.

"Don't worry. Adachi gets litter box duty." Mrs. Shirogane smiled jokingly.

"What?! I object! I get enough crap from Dojima as it is!"

The cat demon laughed, though not much since the motion flared up a pain in her side.

She curled up against Mrs. Shirogane as the woman took her to have her wounds cared for. She would solve the mystery of her friends, and the red world, and find the truth. She would live up to her name.

"Adachi?" Dojima worried the bridge of his nose as he walked back into the office.

"Yes, sir?"

"Change your screensaver."

He sighed. "Yes, sir."

"And get me my coffee."

* * *

**Next Scent: Free**


	2. 2nd Scent: Free

**((This is obviously AU, but it's the most adorable AU I've ever written. The cover picture gave me a couple of ideas. The next thing I knew, this happened. If anything, enjoy this for the Cute.))**

**((There are more chapters to come. I accidentally Storied.))  
**

**-Windyrder**

* * *

_One week later_...

Inaba.

The city of endless rain.

Or at least that's what should be written beneath the 'Welcome To Yasoinaba' sign. "We Have Rain. And Steak. Mostly Rain."

Yu Narukami was at the tail end of the last group of shoppers to step out of Junes for the night. He opened his clear umbrella against another onslaught of brutal weather pounding the dimly lit streets of this sleepy little town. He could count the number of solid sunny days on both hands since he moved here a week ago. His parents had no other choice but to stuff a train ticket into his pocket dooming him to live in rural obscurity with an uncle he'd never met –or if he did, didn't remember. Yu would forget things from time to time like everyone else, but he was pretty sure the face of a family member would stick around. He was, after all, part of an extremely small family. Apparently staying with his uncle, Ryotaro Dojima, was the only option open to his parents even though Yu had insisted he wouldn't burn down the apartment while they were gone for a year in the states. Of course, being left with some kind of care giver –sometimes at a moments notice—was par for the course for his life. Why change the formula now when the outcome proved to yield predictable results every time?

He adjusted his grip on the Junes bag in his free hand as he moved up the hill of the shopping district. Everything was closed. Inaba had rolled up its sidewalks for the day a couple of hours earlier.

He paused at the corner. If he turned right, it would take him fifteen minutes to walk in the rain back to his uncle's house. If he turned left, it would take him twenty. However, if he took a shortcut through the Tatsuhime Shrine, he could be there in five, maybe ten. He glanced to the right where a street lamp barely lit the entrance to a back alley behind the shops. It flickered and died.

He narrowed his eyes at the statistically fantastic timing. Through the shrine it is.

Being from the city had taught Yu how to survive when traveling alone at night. a) It was never a good idea to be out at night to begin with, and if so, you're a moron. b) stay on the lit side of the street, and c) make sure what you're carrying can be used as a weapon. Although Inaba had enough people to fill just one subway station in Tokyo –maybe—, it somehow warranted being called a 'town.' Probably because it had its own post office. He was relatively sure no malevolent shadows would take him out from the bushes, steal his bag of snacks and supplies for his little cousin, Nanako's, science project, and leave him bleeding on the shrine's ancient steps.

He stopped under the dim, golden lantern light of the shrine anyway and slid a glance into the darkness. Yu exhaled in annoyance at his own actions. Paranoia had tagged itself to him from the city. It was a companion he hoped to abandon here if he ever wanted to trust anyone.

A ten minute walk in this weather was nothing. He started to move across the courtyard when a choked, high pitched sound caught his attention. He paused. Another, like a constricted 'yip' from a dog mixed with a sob followed. Yu turned back to face the dark hollow behind the offering box when yet another sound filtered out. If it was a feral animal, it could be dangerous. But if it was in need of help, he could at least call animal control to come get it.

Thunder threatened the town in the far distance with lightning taking the lead. The storm would reach its apex of violence pretty soon and turn the Samegawa flood plain into a roaring river.

Yu moved forward beyond the protective circle of light, his palm tightening around the umbrella handle, his senses tuned and ready for danger . Suddenly, the small noises stopped The shrine thickened with a 'patter' chorus rain against the stone and leaves of surrounding trees. Something rustled in an old, worn cardboard box marked 'FREE' in orange paint darkened by the rainwater. He moved forward cautiously to see around the offering box, and peered inside.

Two small, tan colored ears drooped slightly on a shaggy mess of dark reddish-brown hair. The little creature was shaking.

His mouth slacked in shock when the animal turned big brown eyes his direction. It immediately scrambled to the opposite side of the box into a shadow cast by the shrine, its ears pointing back slightly in fear. Someone had put it into an oversized white long sleeved shirt with a red v-neck collar. The darkness shaded most of its face. What kind of person would leave an animal in a box on a ferocious stormy night like this? Even if it is at a shrine, that was still a shitty move.

Yu set down the Junes bag to fish his phone out of his pocket. What he'd had in his hand drew enough curiosity for the box occupant to move with trepidation into the light. His eyes widened as the initial shock returned when it placed its hands on the lip of the box, stretched to see over the edge, then looked up at him.

It was an animal—a fox—but it was also a kid. Yu had never seen anything of that combination before in his life. It had to be a child playing a game in costume. That idea quickly dissolved when the fox-boy's ears twitched. They and the tail were real. What kind of creature had he stumbled upon?

The two stared at each other for a long time through the storms thick sheet of silvery darts. The phone glowed a faint pale blue in Yu's hand.

What would he tell animal control? 'Hi, I found a fox-boy-thing in a box at the shrine. Can you guys come get it?' They'd hang up on him after laughing at the idiocy, then berating him about being out so late. It was nearly midnight.

He pocketed the phone.

Taking a risk, Yu reached out a hand.

It stepped back. The little guy wasn't even pushing 2 feet tall -maybe a foot-and-a-half at most.

"Hey, it's o.k. Here." He dug an apple from the bag and held it out.

The other sniffed at it and flicked his eyes up to Yu's face as if trying to figure out if this stranger was going to hurt him. His stomach grumbled as it had been doing for most of the night. He snatched the apple and downed it quickly. The need for food had given him temporary bravery to trust someone he had never met.

"Hungry, eh?" He handed over another apple. Two empty orange plastic bowls and a couple of towels inside the box were the only sign of another person's involvement. "Who left you out here?"

It blinked at him, shrugged, looked at the interior of its box as if looking for something that should be there, and ate the second treat.

"You can understand me?"

It let out a light 'yip' in response, almost like it was afraid to make any sound, though it was definitely an affirmative.

The rain began pelting Yu's umbrella and the already soaking wet fox-boy with more vigor.

It sneezed.

Yu picked up the Junes bag and looked back down to the vacant street. There were no cars, no cops, no pedestrians, and no one who seemed to care about the half human fox-creature-boy at the shrine. Not a soul knew they were out here.

The lights of Junes near the end of the street dimmed as the store locked its doors for the night, further darkening the shopping district.

Another whimper grabbed his attention. He looked back to find the unique creature standing at the wall of the cardboard prison again, this time with hope and need in its eyes.

Not knowing what the right decision would be, Yu weighed the best options in his mind along with their possible repercussions.

1. Call animal control.

2. Take it home.

3. Leave it be. It'll be fine.

Option 1 likely wouldn't get him anywhere but reported to his uncle at the police station, and option 3 was just cruel.

That left option 2.

He set the bag down again and crouched to reach out to the fox-boy. "I'm cool. My name is Yu Narukami. I'm not going to hurt you. See?"

It hesitated, but leaned forward to sniff his hand. Then in a surprising move, it bumped its head against his palm.

Surprised, though happy it wasn't going to bite him, he scratched its head. "Let's get you somewhere dry." Yu hooked the Junes bag in the hock of his right elbow. Everyone would be asleep when he got back to his uncle's house, so it will be easier to sneak inside. Decision made –good or bad—he set the umbrella down and lifted the fox-boy out of the soggy box. The small creature weighed hardly anything. The boy trembled from either cold or fear, or both. A rumble of thunder frightened him into burying his face in Yu's jacket.

"Calm down, ok? I used to be weak against storms, too. Lately, they don't bother me at all." He wondered just what had happened for this little guy to deserve abandonment. Sadly, he could relate.

Yu sheltered them with the umbrella in his free hand and left the shrine and the box that said "FREE" behind to the mercy of the shadows.

* * *

He carefully opened the door to the Dojima home as quietly as possible, slipped off his shoes, and moved up the stairs to his given room. Yu set the fox-boy down. "Stay here. I'll be right back. Stay."

The other sat, though couldn't keep his eyes from curiously checking out the room. It was warm and dry here, sparsely decorated, and the carpet was soft, so whatever this stranger said—for now—he'd do.

Yu unloaded the contents of the Junes bag into the refrigerator. The internal light spilled into the dark living room. He cracked the door just enough to remove a bottle of water, and the rest of his bento box from lunch that day at school. Nerves at being the new kid in Yasogami High had kept him from eating the whole thing, so he had this saved as a midnight snack. He scooped half of the contents onto a plate for himself, grabbed a set of chopsticks, closed the refrigerator, and walked to the desk next to the stairs. The wall calendar said tomorrow was Friday, which meant he would have to deal with his current problem after school or on Saturday when he'd have time to move around town to look for its owner. That left what to do with it while he was at school. He marked a small 'x' at the corner of Saturday as a reminder, and went back upstairs.

The fox-boy hadn't moved at all.

"You're trained at least. I don't know what kind of person would leave you outside in this weather, but you're dry, now." Yu left the door open a slight crack and set the food on the floor with the open water bottle. "You have hands, so I hope you can manage. Bathroom's down the hall if you have to go." He dried off, changed into his night clothes, and sat on the futon to eat his own snack as the small fox-boy greedily dove into the food. "How long were you out there?"

He slurped up the rest of the noodles and went for the leftover rice and vegetables, leaving the tofu behind.

"Do you have a name?"

He shook his head from side to side.

"What are you? I've never seen anything like you before. Where'd you come from?"

The fox-boy stopped eating long enough to look Yu in the eyes. His ears and tail twitched, and his shoulders slumped.

"...You don't know."

He shook his head slowly from side to side again, then went back to polishing off the bento box at a more normal pace. Finally sated, he leaned back and belched.

Yu finished his plate and set it on the desk. He opened the closet door and pushed aside his clothes on hangers that clattered as he moved them. "Well, if my uncle finds you, he'll kill me, so you can sleep in here tonight." He removed his pillow from the futon and set it with a pile of spare sheets.

The fox-boy yawned broadly, then moved lethargicly over to the make-shift closet bed. The sheets smelled vaguely of laundry detergent mixed with the musk of time kept in a storage bin. He sat on the sheets as Yu turned off the light.

"We'll see if we can't find who you belong to tomorrow. G'night."

There was a shuffling of bedding on the futon, then silence.

Within seconds, the fox-boy's eyes had adjusted to the darkness of the room. He stared up at the clothes swaying above him like ghosts. He could try to sleep, as he was exhausted, but he was in a stranger's house. He pulled the sheets up around him and curled into a ball with his tail tucked around his shoulder, and sighed. Somehow, he felt like there should be another presence next to him. The wind howled, though he wasn't afraid of it, and the rain tapped its demanding needles against the window. He thought about the box outside at the shrine and shivered. He could still be out there if Yu hadn't decided to take a shortcut.

Gradually, the food coma won the war. He managed to grab a few moments of rest when the harsh strobe of periwinkle lightning snapped him awake. Thunder chased it a few tense seconds later. The fox-boy sat up sharply. He had to see what was going on outside. The mystery left his imagination to its own flights of images, which were probably far worse than what was actually going on. Images of demonic snarls, and lightning reaching to tie him down and drain him dry were the worst of them. Whatever controlled the lightning must be a true monster. Still, curiosity overpowered fear, and he moved on all fours across the room.

Climbing up onto the chair and desk by the window wasn't too difficult, though he did scramble to haul himself up. He placed both hands against the cool glass and looked outside at the dark street as his breath left a small vapor circle on the glass.

Lightning and thunder clashed overhead.

He wasn't prepared for that. All bravery vanished in a mad scramble away from the beastly storm that left him tumbling onto the futon. Without wasting a beat, he burrowed beneath the thick comforter near the edge of the bed and curled up. A slight whimper escaped despite his efforts to keep silent.

The occupant of the futon shifted awake.

Yu blinked bleary eyes at the new lump under the blanket. "…"

He lifted the edge slightly and was met with those brown eyes harboring fear mixed with the dread of having possibly done something wrong.

Another crash of thunder hammered through the room. The fox-boy covered his ears.

He hm'd slightly to himself. This house was still new to him as well. He understood. The fox-boy must be more afraid of the storm than he'd thought.

Yu scratched him on the head behind his ears. "You can stay. I get it." He couldn't be that old, although he showed a higher intelligence and understanding of language beyond any normal animal, not to mention his appearance. Yet at times, it acted like an animal. It was hard to know how to treat the little guy.

The fox-boy blinked in disbelief, though was relieved he wasn't forced to get off the bed. Why was this giant being nice to him? The other man was nice, too. Yu didn't have the same sense as the other man. Yu came across as kind, open, without secrets. Whereas the other had a darkness to him, almost like he carried a shadow to steal the light.

There was something about Narukami that made the little fox think everything would be all right from here on, and he wouldn't find himself abandoned in another box with an empty promise. _Stay here until you're claimed." _He remembered the words through a wave of sleepiness and nausea that fogged his memory before that day, but couldn't really recall the man's face beyond a hat and silver wavy hair. Everything was a blur.

Maybe...maybe it was o.k to trust this one.

The kind stranger had quickly gone to sleep as if he knew the storm outside wouldn't harm him, like the lightning would obey his every command. That must be an amazing power.

Another booming clash of thunder and lightning fought for supremacy outside, and sent the little fox-boy scurrying back under the protective cover. He curled up to hug his tail against Yu's back, and suddenly for the first time since he could remember, the storm didn't frighten him. He was safe. As long as he could stay with Yu Narukami, he would be safe.

With these thoughts cushioning his fear, he was asleep in seconds.

* * *

**Next Scent: School Day**


	3. 3rd Scent: School Day

**((Next part. I'm not sure where this is going to end. For now, I'll just post this. Enjoy. :) ))**

* * *

_The next morning_...

The suns rays had barely touched the moistened streets of Inaba just before the fox-boy woke up. He stretched out at the foot of the futon between the human's two bare feet, yawned and rolled off onto the floor with a 'flump.' Shaking it off, he looked around. The room was still dimly lit from what little light filtered through the closed curtains. Awake and now bored, the first thing of interest to come to mind was simple exploration. He wanted to know where Yu had brought him.

He peeked his head out into the hall and looked from side to side. There was an open door at the end of the hall where he could just make out the edge of a toilet. To his left were two more doors, and of course, the stairs to the first floor. He ventured into the hall curiously, though kept his ears open just in case. They twitched at every sound.

So far, the house was silent. He moved to the next door left partially open and peeked inside. It was pink, and simple, but held an array of stuffed animals, and a collection of toys all of the same girl in a pink dress and detective cap. A magnifying glass with a mustache lay across a desk near the window.

That had to be something worth checking out. He moved silently across the room, avoiding sheets of paper with simple crayon drawings on them so as not to wake the small inhabitant buried under a white and pink comforter. Prints of the same doll covered it surrounded by letters he couldn't completely make out. He'd just started to gain written literary knowledge, and could read a few of them, but couldn't remember where he'd been before to learn it.

The little fox boy climbed up onto the chair and hopped onto the desk. The glass lay face up, reflecting the thin shaft of sunlight peeking through the curtains –also sporting pictures of the happy girl with the detective hat in a pink skirt. He picked it up, turned it over, knocked on the surface, and made funny faces at his distorted reflection just below the thick brown plastic mustache. His tiny thumb pressed against a raised button on the peach-colored handle.

"Stop, or I'll pop a cap in ya!"

The male voice filled the silent room. He yelped in surprise at the sudden volume and stumbled back onto some simple math homework, knocking a pencil off onto the floor. His tail fluffed out in pure instinctual reaction. The air returned to its quiet state once more, though the child in the bed stirred slightly from the sound. He gingerly moved forward to sniff the mirror. It didn't move. Maybe it was just a fluke? This was a mirror, not a person. But it spoke. He cautiously pushed the button again.

"He's the culprit! Grab him!"

This time, instead of running away, he smiled. Any fear gradually washed away as he pushed the button over and over to hear what else the funny mirror had to say.

"We're on the case!"

Click.

"This case is classified top secret!"

Click.

"I think that it's investigation time!"

Click.

"Freeze, and reach for the sky!"

He laughed and pushed the button again to restart its recording loop. It had snared all of his attention so that he didn't even notice the little girl staring at him from a sitting position on the bed.

"Hey," she rubbed her eyes sleepily and blinked. "Who are you?"

He froze and slowly turned to face her. He stepped back slightly with wide eyes, his ears forward.

"No, wait," she slid off the futon to her feet and walked over with her hand out non-threateningly. "Don't go. I won't hurt you."

The little fox backed up against a ruler leaning on the wall under her corkboard. The tips of his ears were just a few inches over the top of the measuring stick. He bounced across to the windowsill behind the curtain, squinting his eyes from the bright sunlight.

"Don't run away," she pulled back the curtain, but he zipped passed her to climb up to the top of a shelf with some toys and books. His tail knocked a few of them down.

"Where'd you come from?" She smiled. "You look kinda strange, but cute and soft—like that little fox demon from a story book at school. Is that what you are?"

He yipped at her in answer, though the sound only made her smile widen. She seemed nice enough, and he could smell nothing but innocence and kindness from her. Sensing she wouldn't hurt him, he stepped forward to the edge of the shelf.

"Don't worry. I won't tell daddy you're here," she whispered. "He might take you away. What's your name? I don't see a collar. But... you look like a kid, like me. Don't your parents miss you?"

He shrugged. It had only been just him as far as he knew. Him and two others in the box he could barely remember. He tried to answer her with a series of high pitched barks and yips, when she suddenly gasped and held her finger to her mouth. He stopped, curious, then he heard why. There were footsteps coming down the hall, and they didn't sound like they belonged to Yu.

"It's daddy! Quick, hide!" She whispered urgently.

He jumped off to the futon and dove under the blanket. Only his reddish-brown bushy tail was visible.

She tucked it under the covers just as the door opened.

"Nanako? Time to get ready for school."

"Ok, daddy."

Ryotaro glanced to the lump under the covers, then to the child eyes of his daughter. It must have been one of her stuffed animals. He yawned. "I have to leave soon, so hurry up, ok?"

She nodded and waited for him to walk away before she risked pulling the comforter back. "He's gone. It's clear. You can come out now." she frowned. "I have to pack my books and get dressed. It's going to be another pop tart morning." Still weary from the early wake up call by way of her Loveline magnifying glass, she yawned and put on her school clothes.

The fox demon jumped down from the bed and ran over to her chair where her bag dangled by one strap. He climbed back onto the desk to gather up everything he saw with numbers on it, plus the book, and stuffed them into the bag.

"Hm?" She turned around while tying a ribbon around one of her pig tails and laughed at the sight of his tail sticking out of the bag. "Haha. You're helpful. Thanks."

The door opened and she froze, fearing her father had come back for some reason.

Yu stood in the doorway with his school uniform on, jacket unbuttoned, and his bag slung over his shoulder. He'd awakened to find the little fox-boy missing, and dressed as quickly as possible in order to find the little guy before his uncle did. He noted the tail sticking out of his cousin's school bag. "So, that's where you went."

"Don't tell daddy. Please," she begged.

The fox demon poked his head up out of the bag and yipped at the one who'd rescued him the night before. He scrambled out onto the floor.

"I won't. I'm glad I found him first. I need to find who he belongs to, so this'll be our secret, ok?"

She smiled, relieved that her older cousin was being so cool. "Ok. He's a fox demon, and I don't think he has any parents."

"A fox demon?" He thought back to the stories he'd learned as a child, and her logic seemed to make sense. The fox-boy did resemble the artists renderings, which made this even more mysterious. How could something from an old fairy tale exist in the real world?

"Nanako?" Ryotaro called up from downstairs. "I've made poptarts to eat on the way and nuked some sausage paddies for breakfast. Are you ready? Brush your teeth."

"Um, I'm almost ready!" She paused at the door next to Yu. "We can't leave him home alone. What if he gets lonely, or hungry, or needs to go outside?"

Yu looked back to the fox demon, and ran a series of options through his mind, but could only come up with one solution to the current problem: He had to bring him. "Go brush your teeth."

Worried, Nanako left to the bathroom to do so.

Yu set his bag down on the floor. "Looks like you're coming along." He waited for the little fox-boy to sniff the bag, open it, look up at him curiously, then crawl inside. There was plenty of space, since Yu was a minimalist when it came to what he'd need for class. Just the basics: A binder, his book, a case of pens and pencils, and his bento box lunch in the side pocket made for keeping things cool or warm. It was roomy, albeit a little close quarters for the fox demon. "Stay quiet." He shouldered the bag, easily able to carry the extra weight, and padded down stairs in his socks. He slipped his shoes on at the door.

Ryotaro handed him a sausage biscuit and pop tart. "Nanako?" He called upstairs again. "C'mon."

Yu grabbed a second one from the plate without a word , and was surprised when his uncle didn't ask why. He probably figured Yu was a growing boy and needed more than one. He'd made the whole box anyway, so it didn't matter. "I can walk her to school this morning."

"Hm. Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I have time."

"Well," he eyed the stoic look of his nephew –the boy's expressions hardly ever changed. Just like his father. It must be a family trait on that side, because his sister wore her emotions on her sleeve. "All right, then." He slung his jacket over his shoulder as Nanako came running down the stairs. "Yu's going to take you to school today."

Her eyes widened and she looked up at the tall teenager.

"You two be careful. I'll see you when I get home." He said without much emotion, and left the house. They heard the car pull out of the driveway a few moments later.

Yu exhaled. He looked down at the little girl, who was lifting the edge of the bag where the fox-boy was peeking up to see out. "C'mon. Let's go."

She smiled, slipped on her shoes, and the two left the house.

The air chilled their exposed skin. It was spring, though Inaba's air was much more fresh than anything in the city. It rolled right down from the mountains into the valley and fields without the hindrance of big corporation factories or heavy smog. It had taken him a couple of days to adjust to the clean air. He was pretty sure the oxygen level was what gave him that sudden powerful headache at the gas station the day he'd arrived.

They moved onto the walking path near the park to get to her school. He handed the extra sausage biscuit down to the fox demon, who flipped up the top of the bag, took the food in both hands, and nibbled.

"He's so cute," Nanako couldn't take her eyes off his ears and white fur at the end of his tail. "Where'd you find him?"

"Last night on the way home."

"In the rain? That's sad." She reached out to scratch his head behind his ears, and was happy when he yipped and smiled. "What's his name?"

"He doesn't have one that I know of."

"We should name him!"

The fox-boy looked over to her, then up to Yu as he ate his breakfast. He thought long and hard on their suggestion, trying to find an answer, but nothing came to mind. Maybe he really didn't have a name beyond being directly addressed.

"He probably does by his parents, or owners, or... whoever."

"Then," she fought to think of a way to counteract his logic, "but we have to call him something until then, right?"

"hm." He walked along. "Ok."

"Um..." She pressed a finger to her lips. "We've been learning in history about who the gods were in the past, like Izanagi, Izanami, Konohana, Jiraiya... and then we looked up our names for fun. My name means 'child of the green,', and daddy's name means, um... 'stout,' or 'stoic,' or... just like daddy with being a detective."

"I see. Any suggestions?"

"Well," she looked skyward at a flock of birds overhead as she thought. "He helped me pack my bag, and he's cute, and has furry ears..." A grin creased her small face as the perfect name hit her. She closed her eyes in delight at how cleaver she was. "This boy in class is leaving today, so the teacher had him tell us what his name means. It means 'to be of great help,'" she stated matter-of-factly. "His name is Yosuke. I remembered because his mom brought the whole class cupcakes from Junes yesterday for his farewell party. I love cupcakes. And Junes! What if we named him 'Junes?'"

"Hm. Probably not such a great idea."

"Then Yosuke?"

"Kind of old school." He looked down at Nanako, then to the fox demon's head as the little guy finished off the sausage biscuit.

"I like it." She grinned.

"Remember not to tell anyone."

"Ah!" she pulled an invisible zipper across her mouth and pretended to throw away the key.

They stopped when they reached the entrance to her school. "Bye!" She waved and ran into the schoolyard to meet up

The little fox demon waved back. They moved on.

The closer they got to the high school, the more students they passed. Yu had to close and latch the bag after a while so the tiny traveler couldn't be seen. He looked up at the school and let out a heavy sigh. He prayed today would go on without any problems. It was the least he could ask for.

The fox-boy's ears twitched at all the sounds outside the bag; the chatter of students, the sounds of bicycle bells, footsteps on the pavement, the wind through the trees. He grinned and peeked out through a loop at the top edge of the bag where the leather didn't fold all the way over. All the different smells and sights were amazing. He wanted more. He wasn't afraid at all. He was curious and couldn't wait to see everything this strange place had to offer.

He watched as the bag bobbed up and down with the bag carrier's motions up the stairs and into the halls of Yasogami High School. This was going to be one of the most exciting days of his young life.

* * *

Two hours into the school day, and the fox demon wanted to bang his head repeatedly against the chalk board just to get the teacher to stop talking. He'd been told to keep quiet before they entered the class room, so he did, or tried his best to,anyway. He would forget every once in a while and sneeze, which made Yu have to mimic the sound in order to not be caught. That would get him another verbal lashing from the teacher, and another rank higher on his 'shit list.' The fox-boy felt bad after the second time, and did his best to remain as quiet as possible.

He'd heard one of the other students call the old, buck-toothed teacher, 'King Moron.' After listening to the lecture about history, and the verbal abuse toward the class –which he could sense Yu wasn't accustomed to, and was too afraid to respond, like he didn't have enough courage. Yosuke was one hundred-percent done with King Moron. He'd have been happy to stay in Yu's room all day. He sighed, lying on his back on a math book, made himself learn the letters on a piece of literary homework tucked in a side pocket until he could read every visible sentence, and waited for this day to just end. Please end. He would give anything for the clock on the wall to actually move.

"I'm Sorry I'm late, Mr. Morooka," he heard the beautiful clear tones of a girl rushed and out of breath. "I had problems at the inn with some customers, and-"

"Give me your excuses later, Miss Amagi," King Moron barked. "Just open your book and good luck catching up with the rest of the class. Now, as I was saying to you spaced out ingrates,..."

The little fox shifted to look out the other side of the bag past Yu's legs to the vision of perfection in a red sweater sitting in the seat on the other side from him behind a girl with short blond hair in a green and yellow jacket. She smelled like strawberries, and her long black hair flowed like silk down her back. The only accessory taming those raven locks was a simple red headband. He couldn't take his eyes off her. He leaned his hand against his lopsided grin and pushed up the edge of the bag just a little to see her more clearly.

Yukiko frowned at being late again and removed her book. She glanced to the new transfer student briefly. He was sort of handsome. She had no time for that, besides, just speaking to anyone new made her nervous, so she studied the page they were on –thanks to her best friend's help telling her where they were. Catching up was easy. She was one of the smartest girls in her class.

Yukiko stole another glance at the silver-haired boy, but noticed something out of place. His school bag had two big brown eyes staring back at her. She blinked and cocked her head slightly to the side. She tapped on Chie's back, who turned around, then looked where her best friend nodded. The two exchanged a quiet conversation through expressions only. It was decided right there that they would confront him about it. Although Yukiko didn't want to bother him, Chie was now dead set on finding out why he'd brought an animal to school.

* * *

Yu took refuge on the rooftop. The day held far more stress than he'd anticipated, and he wanted to be alone. He'd spotted the door to the roof a few days ago, and by about the middle of first period the first day he was here, he didn't care if anyone saw him or not. He needed to get away to clear his mind and get rid of King Moron's negativity. Hence, it had become his 'spot.'

The little fox demon sat cross-legged next to him on a cement bench and ate his portion of the bento box. Yu had never had a pet, but he was smart enough to keep this out of the little fox-boy's reach until now. "Three hours to go. Think you can handle it?"

His response was a long drawn out whine and a faceplant into the rice.

"I know the feeling."

"Hey, new guy!"

Yu looked up at the demanding tone that sounded like its owner was going to kick him off the building. The girl in the green jacket and the one in the red sweater walked briskly toward him. At least, the girl in the green jacket did. Her best friend held back a bit as if being dragged along. He found her shyness to be endearing. For a split second, he thought about how he could hide the fox demon, but it was already too late. They'd already had more than enough time to see him. "Can I help you?"

Chie was ready to bluntly ask why he had an animal with him when Yukiko's shyness snapped. It was replaced with the joy of someone just stumbling upon a box of kittens.

"Oh my gosh, he's so cute! With that little shirt, and those ears, and that fluffy tail. He's adorable!" She moved over to crouch down and ruffle his ears.

The little fox demon didn't even budge. He'd been wanting this since she first walked into the room. He grinned and his tail wagged in happiness.

"..." Yu just blinked at her.

Chie folded her arms. "Uhm, gee, Yukiko, can we ask him why he has it and what it is _before_ you adopt it?"

Yukiko picked up the little fox demon as she turned to sit on the bench at a 90 degree angle from the one Yu occupied. She smiled when the little creature squirmed out of her grip and moved around to bury his face in her hair, which triggered a giggle fit.

"Well," Chie sat next to her, "It is kinda cute. Reminds me of my dog. I'm Chie Satonaka, by the way, and this is my friend Yukiko Amagi. Don't mind her. She giggle fits."

"I saw him in your bag in class. Where'd you get him?"

He exhaled. This was not a situation he could leave alone to resolve itself. Like it or not, these two were involved now. It would be better to just tell them. "I found him last night in a box at the shrine."

"That was one of the worst storms we've had in weeks." She frowned at the idea of someone leaving anyone or anything living out in that weather all night.

The little fox demon hopped down to put both hands against Chie's shoes and looked up at her with a little series of 'yips,' telling his story. The silver haired man who'd left him in the box could understand him, so he didn't see why these three looked at him like he was speaking another language.

Chie lifted her legs so he was sitting on her shoes, and steadily bounced them up and down like a seesaw. "Poor little guy. I wonder what he is. He looks like a fox, but like a kid, too. I've never seen anything like him before." She cringed when he turned sideways on her shoes and grinned. "Ack! And he's a little pervert." She let him drop to the ground. It wasn't far, but enough to send a clear 'NO. BAD' message.

He rubbed at his butt and frowned, his ears folding back. He glared at her, yipped, and climbed up onto Yu's lap, then back down in front of his part of the bento box. He didn't see anything anyway. Besides, she was wearing bicycle shorts. Killjoy.

Yukiko leaned back on her hands slightly as she studied him. "I think he's a fox demon."

Yu had already gone back to eating his lunch. "That's what my little cousin said."

"But how is that possible?" Chie asked. "Fox demons... animal demons... are a myth from ages ago. They don't exist. Maybe he's some kind of weird science experiment."

The little fox demon shook his head from side to side.

Yu swallowed his food. "I think he just said 'no.'"

"He can understand language?" Yukiko sat up, now completely intrigued.

Yu nodded.

"That would make sense for an animal demon," she continued, recalling what she'd read throughout her life about fairy tales and legends from ancient Japan. "They're said to possesses great cognitive ability, to make themselves look human, but also retain the abilities of their animal selves along with mannerisms. He seems really young, though." She scratched one of his ears. "If that's the case, he may not belong to anyone if he shouldn't even be here at all."

"So, he's alone," Chie let herself feel a little bad about dropping him on the ground.

An awkward silence lived between the four of them as the little fox demon finished off his lunch.

"What's his name?" Yukiko finally asked.

Yu picked up the empty box and tied it back in its fabric to take home to wash. "He doesn't have one. My cousin suggested 'Yosuke.'"

"Kind of old school," Chie noted.

"I like it," Yukiko smiled. "He can grow into his name."

"And maybe learn not to be such a perv," Chie glared at the small creature.

He shot a raspberry back at her.

"Well, then." Yu lightly ruffled the top of the little fox demon's head. "I guess your name is Yosuke from now on."

The little fox demon looked up at him with wide eyes in disbelief. He finally had a name. Something inside him changed at that moment. He'd been accepted, and he no longer feared this giant would put him back in the box at the shrine and walk away. He jumped up and down, spun in the air and yipped with delight.

"So, I guess you're keeping him." Chie smiled despite herself at the little fox demon's happiness.

"That's the thing. I can't."

All three stared at him. The little fox demon's ears drooped and his tail stopped wagging.

"My uncle will never allow it."

"Maybe he can stay with you, Chie."

The other looked at her best friend, then the little demon. "I'm staying with you tonight at the inn, remember?" When she'd stormed onto the roof, she'd only expected to get an answer about the presence of an animal in the new transfer student's bag, not be deciding the new home life for a fox demon – something that shouldn't even exist. "Though, he might get along with my dog." She stretched and stood. "I need to go by Junes after school and pick up some stuff for the house. I can call my dad then and ask. We can all meet at the front gate of the school and walk to Junes from there."

"That sounds good," Yukiko stood and brushed down her hounds tooth print skirt. "I'll do some quick studying in math on animal demons. It shouldn't be too hard to look up online."

Yu nodded.

The two girls waved good-bye and walked away back to the stairs.

Yosuke plopped down heavily sighed. That feeling of acceptance had deflated like a sorry balloon. He was going to wind up back in that box. He just knew it.

Yu looked down as the little guy pulled both knees up to his chest and wrapped his tail around his legs. He said nothing. He simply rested his hand between the others ears.

The fox demon leaned into it. He had to show them he was worth keeping. He had to live up to his new name. Whatever happened, wherever he ended up, he wouldn't let Yu's kindness be forgotten. Yu was his friend now, and just like the bond with the other demon in the box –the other he could feel, knew existed, but wished he could remember—he would not take it lightly.

He just hoped he wouldn't screw it up.

* * *

_That afternoon_...

The Friday night super sales at Junes could draw in a bigger crowd that Yu thought this town actually held. He wove through the masses rushing to get that next big deal before the sale ended at 6pm that night. It was only 4pm, so the elevator the three of them squeezed into to take to the rooftop food court was full to capacity –or at least that's how it felt. He heard a small disgruntled sound from his bag as he held it in front of him in order to keep it from getting crushed by a rather large individual carrying a 30" computer monitor box marked '½ off.' Someone in there had forgotten to put on deodorant. No one in the elevator was rude enough to say anything, so everyone just dealt with it. Except for the fox demon. Yu had to cough repeatedly to cover up a loud whine that roughly translated into "yuck!" If it was bad for him, it had to be horrible for a creature with a sensitive sense of smell.

Everyone poured out of the elevator when the doors finally opened. The B.O man walked away, whoever he was. Yukiko, Yu, and Chie all took a deep breath of the evening air.

"Thank God. I thought I was going to puke." Chie sniffed her shirt. "Awe, now I smell like a jock strap. I need to get some air freshener, too."

They sat at a round table near the edge of the building where the air was cleanest. There was hardly anyone there, so Yu set his bag on the table and opened it.

Yosuke coughed and spilled out of the bag with a yarf of disgust. He flopped onto his back and inhaled deeply to clear his nose. That was one of the worst smells he'd ever experienced in his entire life.

Yu leaned back in the chair.

Yukiko unfolded a print out from her bag and handed it over. "This was on a website that featured theoretical information on animal demons. It explains how they grow so fast, why, learn speech, and how they can hide their animal features from humans, along with what they are able to do. It also said that they are forever bonded to those they befriend at a young age, and the one who gives young demons a name."

"So, he's stuck with him?" Chie leaned over to look at the paper.

Yukiko nodded. "According to this, yes. But there's no way to know for sure, because, well, animal demons are...were...a myth. It's the best I could do on short notice."

"Turned out your over efficiency came in handy, Yukiko." Chie stretched. "Now that I can breath, I'll call my dad." She dug her phone out of her school bag.

"I'll get us something to drink. Do you want anything?" Yukiko stood.

"Thanks. Dr. Salt." Yu said. He folded up the paper and pocketed it.

The little fox demon yipped and sat up with his hands planted on the table between his legs.

"And water." He didn't want to imagine what this little guy would be like on caffeine.

She nodded and left.

Chie hung up her phone, though her expression didn't give Yu or their small companion much hope. "He said no. All I said was that a friend had a puppy they needed someone to take care of. He's in a really bad mood today." She looked at the two apologetically. "I'm sorry."

"You tried."

They sat in silence within the noise of the Junes food court.

Yosuke sniffed at the air. Something was being bbq'd, and it smelled a million times better than anything he'd come across yet.

"I can try to talk to my uncle tonight whe—"

The fox-boy stood, looked to the two, yipped, and jumped off the table, onto a chair, and to the ground. If he was going to have one last meal before being put back into that box, he was going to gorge himself on whatever it was that had hooked his senses. Plus, it would dull the pain of being abandoned again. He ran right between Yukiko's feet.

"Wah!" Yukiko spun around in a delicate ballet move and managed to save all the drinks. "Where's he going?"

"Catch him!" Chie dove after him, though missed when he scrambled under a chair. She, Yu, and Yukiko split up through the food court to try to corral him in.

Panicking, though still on the hunt for that delicious smell, he dodged each of them. Quick on his feet, he zipped past people with trays of food, causing them to upturn their recent purchases, and took off into the stairwell when someone opened the door. Yu caught the door just as it was about to close and barreled through with the others right behind. He leaped down to the next level, though just missed the fox demon as it took off into the electronics department.

"We can corner him by the TVs !" Chie said. "I know this area. My family's been thinking about getting a bigger one for a while, so I've been scouting them out for prices. There's a large one near the back corner that's been here since Junes opened."

"We'll corner him there," Yu said. They split up.

Yosuke ran through the isles, around people leaving the area, and by displays of electronics. He looked behind him for his pursuers. Seeing the coast was clear, he thought he'd be home free to find that bbq'd goodness once again. He scrambled on all fours around a corner, hit a freshly mopped area on the floor, and spun across an open space past a rack of MP3 players and headphones right into the side of a trashcan. A pair of headphones clattered to the floor next to him. Dizzy, he sat up and rubbed at his eyes to make the multiples of everything merge back into only one of everything.

When he looked up, a slim woman with long black hair was looking down at him. "Oh, are you ok? I saw that from over there and—" She paused when he stood, shook his head, and flopped over again. He was about a foot and a half tall, maybe less. "Oh my..."

Yu slid on the mop water, though stopped smoothly, and simply stared without any change in his expression.

The woman picked up the fox demon and faced the tall youth. "Does he belong to you?"

"..."

Chie and Yukiko slid in behind him, though Chie fell on her rear. "Ouch." Yukiko helped her up.

Yu looked from the woman to the demon, then back, never blinking those silver eyes. "Yes. I'm sorry. He got away from me."

"Interesting." She held the fox-boy up to face him.

Yosuke squirmed and yipped, though stopped at the look in her dark eyes. She was smiling. It was the same look Nanako had given him that morning.

Yu stepped closer.

She handed Yosuke back. "You found a fox demon."

The three stared in disbelief. She'd come to this conclusion on her own, without any prompting, and she hadn't showed any sign of discomfort or disbelief. It was as though she had dealt with this sort of phenomena before. What were the odds of that in this tiny town of boredom?

"Better take good care of him. You're stuck with him if you named him." She smiled and waved, then walked through the mop water smoothly, her heels clicking on the floor.

"I'm sorry, but...who are you?" Chie asked.

The woman looked back. "Mrs. Hanamura."

"You manage this store," Yukiko bowed in respect. Everyone in town knew the Hanamuras had moved here a few months ago to manage this branch of Junes, and every shop owner in town loathed them for it. Yukiko's family, however, didn't mind.

"How did you know?" Yu asked calmly.

"When the whole town hates you, you learn to keep busy on your own. I've always been interested in ancient lore—Greek, Egyptian, Roman, Chinese—so I read up on this area which used to be heavy into the Shinto religion. Animal demons came up in legends as helpers to the gods." She shrugged lightly. "It's a hobby." She regarded each of them. "Take care of that one. And please don't break anything or your parents will be notified." She turned to walk away again.

The three looked to each other, then Yukiko nudged Yu forward.

Yu moved quickly to catch up to her. "If you don't mind, Mrs. Hanamura, my uncle most likely won't let me keep him."

She stopped, looked him in the eyes, then to the young demon in his arms, and exhaled. "I'll talk to my husband. But don't get your hopes up. He's a serious man. What's your uncle's name?"

"Ryotaro Dojima. He's a detective."

She nodded with a small sound of approval, then walked away.

The two best friends stood beside him. Both girls smiled.

"Looks like your problem may be solved," Chie folded her arms.

Hopefully it would be. He didn't think his uncle wanted _him_ here, let alone a creature of myth. "Then there's only one thing left to do."

The girls regarded him curiously.

"Find whatever he was after that smelled so good and try some." With that, he walked to the stairs, back to the rooftop.

The blond gave a knowing grin. "No need to wonder. That's a beef stick. I'd recognize its aroma a mile away."

"You have before," Yukiko stated. "It's like steak radar. It's kinda creepy."

"What's a beef stick?" Yu asked.

Chie's jaw hit the floor in absolute horror. She froze halfway up the stairs as though someone had just thrown a baby down the shaft for shits and giggles. "Tell me I did not just hear those words leave your mouth." She ran up past him and opened the door to let them both enter the food court. Fortunately, their things were still at the table. She let it close and draped her arms over both of their shoulders. "You're about to taste the food of the Gods. Right this way!" She marched with objective down to the end of the food court.

"Seems like a reoccurring theme here."

Yosuke yipped in agreement, though he would never say 'no' to something that smelled that tantalizing.

Yu sat down at the table with Yukiko, set the fox demon next to his bag, and waited for Chie to return with the promised deliciousness. Yosuke had gone to drawing what looked like letters with the pen of his finger on the table top. Apparently, that much time spent at school and stuck in his bag with grammar homework had rubbed off on him.

If these Gods everyone kept talking about were on his side, Mrs. Hanamura would call. Until then, he had to come up with a good excuse to convince his uncle to let Yosuke the fox demon boy stay at the house just in case.

Yu took a deep breath, unfolded the paper Yukiko had given him, and crossed his fingers in hope that his luck leveled up since he'd arrived. Maybe his courage had done the same and he would finally be able to tell King Moron to lighten up on him. He sighed. Nope. He foresaw that happening when he gained enough to walk into the girls bathroom.

Still, Yu Narukami crossed his fingers anyway.

* * *

**Next Scent: Home**


	4. 4th Scent: Home

**Chapter 4: Home.  
**

* * *

_That night_...

"Welcome home."

Nanako's chipper voice greeted Yu as he walked through the front door. She was sitting on the floor at the table watching an infomercial on t.v. It seemed Tanaka's Amazing Commodities was broadcast this far out into the boonies, and wasn't just a city thing. He eyed the latest bizarre attraction; a fruit dicing machine that could also deshell edimame at the same time. Who would buy something like that?

The fox demon launched himself from the bag before Yu set it down on the couch, and jumped across the cushions. He bounced on one just for the sake of the act, then to the floor and up to Nanako.

She watched him and giggled when started running around the room. "Did you find who he belongs to?"

Yu opened the refrigerator and studied its contents to see if anything caught his eye. He spotted the pot with Nanako's science project chilling next to a slice of ham on a plate. A few of the seeds had sprouted into grass shoots. Thankfully, she had enough time to let it grow until she had to present it to the class. "He doesn't belong to anyone. You were right about him, though." He grabbed some fried rice and closed the door, popped the rice into the microwave, and nuked it for a few seconds.

"So, he is a fox demon? I knew it!" Her hand brushed the small fox-boy's tail when he darted by. "I wish we could keep him. He could be like a little brother, and a pet, and uh... um... How are you supposed to treat a fox demon?"

Yu shrugged and ate a few bites of rice. It really had no flavor. He'll have to make dinner tonight and leave the spices out for his uncle, who never seemed to use them. "Someone I met at school gave me some information. Maybe there's something here." He took the folded paper from his back pocket and moved to sit at the table on the floor with his rice.

Their small companion climbed up his back to look at the paper over his shoulder, and reached for the rice.

"Yosuke. No."

The fox demon frowned and slid back to the floor.

Nanako's eyes widened. "You kept the name? I'm glad." She got up and picked up the fox demon. "Daddy called and said he would be home late, so Yosuke can help us make dinner."

Yu finished off the rice and set the chopsticks down. "I suppose."

A line of commercials followed Tanaka's amazing commodities. One of them completely roped in Nanako's attention and she swayed back and forth, holding the fox demon in her arms. His tail dangled with the motions. When she started to sing, he yipped to sing along.

"Every day's great at your Junes." Nanako sat down, still holding the fox. "I love Junes."

Yu smiled slightly. He watched her struggle to keep the tiny demon in her lap, but her captive managed to get away and ran to the back door. His cousin followed and slid it open so the two could play in the dwindling daylight.

He leaned back on his hands as another program started on t.v, but he wasn't focused on it. His mind was thick with sorting through explanations on why that they needed to keep a creature of myth around the house. His uncle was a stern man who rarely showed any higher level of caring above mediocre. Plus, he'd come home drunk twice this week. Yu had started making it a habit to stay awake until Nanako went to bed, or Dojima came home. It wasn't that he was abusive, or angry. Ryotaro would never lay a hand on his daughter, even if he was forced to at gun point. He just made Yu nervous. He was pretty sure the history between these two was very separated and stand-offish before he arrived in Inaba. Dojima would come home, crash on the couch, complain about Adachi or the latest case—sometimes Adachi brought him home, so he was there to hear it—but it seemed there was a different element plaguing the older detective.

The sounds of laughter and playful yipping drifted into the room through the open door. He hoped his uncle would come home simply tired from the day with no hint of inebriation.

He took his plate to the sink, washed it, put it away, then began rummaging through the cupboards for ingredients.

The fox demon bound inside after Nanako. The two ran upstairs, and he could hear her explaining how to wash his hands and feet so they could make dinner. This was the first time he'd seen her act like a child and not like she had to shoulder responsibility meant for someone older. Determined, Yu began putting together the tastiest meal he knew how to create. They needed to knock this one out of the park.

He was soon joined by the other two. Despite being about 16 inches tall, Yosuke did his best to help by putting plates and chopsticks haphazardly on the table when Nanako passed them down to him. The whole event of making dinner had forced Yu to see this little guy more as a small sentient being than an animal. Nanako stood on a stool kept in the corner in order to fry up some vegetables while the fox demon stood on the counter rolling up prepared spring rolls Yu set aside so they could be fried. Both laughed when the little fox sneezed and fell into the sink. He was covered in flour, so he would need to be bathed before dinner.

Once everything was cleared away, Yu set the food out on the low table and covered the hot plates with towels while Nanako tried to wash the mess off the fox demon. He couldn't help but crack the smallest of smiles at the two, well, kids.

Yosuke's complaints about being essentially 'hosed down' in the kitchen sink fell on def ears as Nanako cleaned him up. To her, it was like bathing a small child you had to babysit. She'd seen enough on t.v to figure it out. Her older cousin's only contribution was to tell her to use shampoo instead of dish soap.

The little fox-boy tilted his face up to let the water flow over his ears and gargled. Maybe this wasn't so bad. The water actually felt great as it washed the day away.

The little girl wrapped a towel around him and set him on the floor. Water quickly pooled on the tile as it dripped from his soaking wet drooping ears and tail. She squealed and covered her face when he shook as much water off of himself as possible. His fur poofed out in response. Nanako quickly ran upstairs, grabbed one of her stuffed toys, and ran back down. She removed the long sleeved orange v-neck shirt from the toy bear. "Here. You can wear this while yours is in the laundry."

He put it on. It fit about the same. Clean, and happy, he ran out of the kitchen and back to bouncing on the couch.

Yu sat on his side of the table while he flipped through the channels. Nanako plopped down at her usual place when he stopped the remote on a Magical Detective Girl LoveLine made for t.v movie. It would keep her occupied until his uncle came home.

Time moved slowly as they waited. After a half hour, they decided to eat their meals before it got too cold. The movie ended an hour later. Nanako yawned, rolled over onto her feet, and took their plates to the kitchen. Yosuke was asleep under the table.

"I've got it, Nanako. Go ahead and go to bed."

"But what about daddy?" she yawned.

He hardly understood her, but knew what her question would have been. "I'll stay up."

"Ok." She started for the stares, but stopped, turned to look at the scene of the living room and kitchen, smiled with contentment, and went upstairs.

Yu did the dishes and put his uncle's plate of food in the refrigerator. It was already 9pm. He sat back down and did the only thing he could do. Wait.

The front door opened about twenty minutes later.

"You're still up?" Dojima slung his jacket over the hook by the door. "The house smells good."

"Nanako and I cooked dinner." Yu stated. His uncle's clarity in speech lifted the heavy worry suffocating the room. He had not come home drunk.

"Oh. Sorry I missed it." He opened the refrigerator to take the plate out and heat it up, though when he turned around, he paused as he stared straight at his nephew. "What is that?" He demanded.

Yu glanced down at his feet. The fox-boy had awakened and was now huddling behind his right leg. "Let me explain—"

Ryotaro held up a hand. "Absolutely not. There's already a strange cat-thing at the precinct I've had to deal with for the past week, and I am not going to do the same in my own home."

"Cat-thing?"

He set the plate down. "The chief's wife adopted it. We don't know what it is. It's a long story I won't get into, but it's been in my case files, on my desk, in all the books. The only good thing its done has brought me a fresh cup of coffee after she knocked my cup onto the floor. We don't need an animal...girl...thing running around disrupting police business."

Yu's eyes widened slightly in disbelief. "The station has a cat demon?"

But his words were overshadowed by his uncle's demand. "And now there's another... whatever it is. Two in one week. It is not staying in this house."

"Uncle please. He doesn't have an owner."

"So it's a stray."

"It's a fox demon. If anyone of science gets ahold of him who knows what they will do. If he can stay here until I can find him another home—"

"That's how most households get stuck with unwanted pets."

"There's already someone who may take him. The Hanamuras."

"No. That's my final word."

"But, Uncle-"

"NO!"

Yosuke could sense Yu's panic rising. He clutched the fabric of the human's pants in his tiny hands when Dojima yelled, and tried to hide from the tide of anger exuding from the older man.

Yu glanced down, then back to his uncle. The detective intimidated him, even though he was family. He didn't really know Ryotaro Dojima at all. He set his jaw in determination, despite the trepidation, and stood his ground, though his voice remained calm. "I found him in a box at the shrine during the last storm. Someone left him out there to either be picked up by animal control, or die of exposure. He has no one. I couldn't walk away. You know what it's like to see when someone has done something wrong. You can't stand by and let it happen. Neither could I. I have to do what's right. You have no idea what he's done for Nanako."

"Nanako's seen him?" Ryotaro worried his face with his hands. "Dammit, Yu."

"She was happy."

The other was silent for a long time. Ryotaro moved into the living room and dropped down wearily onto the couch. He knew he'd been distant with his daughter since Chisato, her mother, was killed. He'd hidden everything that reminded him of her –photographs, trinkets, her favorite things, even her coffee cup was tucked into the back of the cupboard, though he couldn't hide from his daughter even though he tried. Thinking about her still brought too much pain. She was the love of his life. Yet, could not believe he would be so heartless as to deny his only child happiness. He was on an extremely important mission of justice, and had left her alone a lot in the past year.

He looked over at the tall youth as the little fox demon stepped out from behind his nephew's legs.

Yosuke moved cautiously forward a few steps, stopped with his arms folded, looked at Dojima, and yipped softly.

He eyed it. "It's not a fox, or a human. So it can't really be considered a 'pet.'"

Yu remained silent, his heart racing.

Dojima lolled his head back with a heavy sigh within a groan. "Fine. He can stay."

Yu exhaled in relief.

"But you have to find him another home. Got it?"

He nodded. "Yes, sir."

The little demon's tail wagged in happiness.

"We can keep him?"

Both men and demon looked up at the small voice from the top of the stairs. Nanako practically threw herself into the living room to scoop up their little friend and spun around. "All right! Thank you, daddy! Thank you! Thank you!" She handed him over to Yu, who barely had a chance to play catch before she climbed onto the couch and flung her arms around her father. "I love you, daddy."

Ryotaro had lost this battle. He wrapped his arm around Nanako for a moment. "It's not permanent, young lady. You should be in bed."

"Uh huh. Right." She slid off the couch, bowed deeply to her father, gave her cousin a hug, and ran up the stairs. "G'night!"

The detective moved to heat up the food. "He's your responsibility, Yu. Anything he does while he's here falls onto your shoulders."

"I understand."

"Good."

Ryotaro took the heated plate and disappeared upstairs into his room.

It had started to rain again. The sound of the thick drops pattering against the glass replaced the fresh conversation and surrounded the two alone in the living room. Yu held the little fox demon out at arms length. "You have an unusually high amount of luck."

Yosuke just grinned, wagged his tail, and yipped in agreement. He wasn't going to be abandoned again after all.

* * *

The weekend was pretty uneventful.

Nanako had insisted they take a picnic to the Samegawa flood plain on Saturday—where Yosuke fell into the water. At first, Yu feared the little guy would drown, and ran in after him just to find the fox demon doing the back stroke in circles. Apparently, he really liked the water, which made Yu feel better about his revenge of taking a hose to him in the back yard that evening to clean him off.

Sunday was pretty lazy. Yu taught the two how to make paper cranes. The house was filled with them in a couple of hours, and did not go over well when Dojima came home to find the living room flooded with origami. He made the three clear up the mess.

Monday and Tuesday passed with boring regularity. Yu brought the little fox demon along both days, because he'd watched him try to draw letters on the Junes food court table and figured a few more lessons might not be a bad idea. Plus, he wouldn't have to suffer alone. Yukiko and Chie met up with him on the rooftop for lunch both days. Discussing the details of animal demons and what they could do to help the little fox quickly dominated the conversations. Beyond that, it was talk about class. Before he knew it, Yu realized the small demon had somehow gained him two friends within his first two weeks of living in Inaba. They were nice, with their own unique personalities, and definitely not hard on the eyes. Wen they got home, Yu had to stop Yosuke from eating Nanako's science project.

Wednesday was when everything changed.

Ryotaro had just slipped on his jacket to leave for the precinct that morning when his phone rang.

"Yeah. Dojima." He held up his hand after a moment to halt his nephew and daughter when they started to leave the house. "Uh uh. Yes, I remember you, Mrs. Hanamura. Any more issues? …... Good. …... Uh huh... I see. …... Yes, he's my nephew."

Yu listened as the conversation went on.

"Ok. I'll tell him. Thank you." He closed the phone and pocketed it, then turned to the kids at the door. "That was Mrs. Hanamura. She wants you to bring him to her house after school today. Said she talked it over when her husband, and they agreed to take him."

Nanako's eyes teared up.

"I know, but you remember I said this was only temporary."

She nodded and wiped at her eyes. "I don't want him to go."

Yu rested his hand gently on her hair and knelt down as the little fox poked his head out of the bag. "I'll walk you to school, and you can say good-bye on the way. That ok?"

She nodded again.

"I'll text you the address," Dojima said. He hated to see his daughter cry. He rubbed her head caringly as he walked past to his car and drove away before she could argue with more tears as her ally.

Yu stood and took Nanako's hand in his. He let go when the fox demon jumped from the bag and into her arms.

She held onto him for the entire walk to her school.

When they got to her front gate, she set him down. "We're friends forever, ok?" She sniffled.

Yosuke nodded with a yip, frowning as he wiped a tear from his brown eyes and hugged her.

Nanako let him go, looked up to her cousin, and ran into her school to keep herself from turning back.

Yosuke climbed back into the bag and watched the school until it was out of sight. He whined and settled onto the books.

Yu didn't know what to say to comfort the young demon, so he simply scratched its ears.

They endured the day, but there were surprisingly a minimal amount of tears from Yukiko and Chie. Yu filled them in on what happened while they ate lunch on the rooftop, and the two agreed to walk with him to the Hanamuras. Although this was a moment where he thought he would want solitude, he had to admit to himself that he didn't want to be alone. He only nodded in approval at the offer.

The sky threatened more rain in the distance, though for now, it was partially cloudy beneath blue skies as the three walked through Inaba. Yosuke sat up with his hands on the edge of the bag to see the town, and whimpered when they passed the street Yu would normally turn down to go home. He looked ahead of them to an unknown area up the hill with slim, but nice houses lining the sides. The farther up they walked, the nicer the homes became. Each footstep felt like it lasted a whole day when it was only another ten minutes from Yu's street.

They stopped at the end of a cul-de-sac and faced a large three storied house.

Chie whistled. "Wow. Little guy's really steppin' up in the world. Beats, my house by a ton."

Yukiko rested her hand on her new friend's shoulder. "Are you ready?"

He appreciated that, even though he didn't voice it. That kind of concern held true meaning. He nodded. He walked forward up to the door, leaving the two behind on the sidewalk. The yard was nicely kept, and from what he could see through the windows, the interior was spacious, and boasted a giant television in the living area. The Hanamuras were in no way hurting financially. That put Yu at ease a little. At least they could take care of him.

He lifted his finger, hesitated, and pressed the doorbell.

The door opened a moment later to reveal Mrs. Hanamura. She smiled at the youth. Her hair was pulled up into a lose pony tail, and she wore very simple, but nice relaxed clothing with a hint of traditional Japanese style in the cut. "Ah, Mr. Narukami. Please come in."

He stepped inside, slipped his shoes off, and followed her lead into the living room. He set his bag down on the floor.

The little fox-boy crawled out onto the plush carpet, sniffed the air, and began curiously wandering around the room. It was huge in comparison to the Dojima home. It smelled clean, had that same flare of traditional Japanese decoration, but it was still strange, and way too big.

"Thank you for bringing him." She took a seat on the couch. "It took some convincing and a lot of logic twisting, but I was able to bring my husband around. We both agreed something this rare shouldn't be studied or turned over to any authorities. He's young and needs to live his own life."

Yosuke looked to her, then to Yu, and climbed up onto his lap.

She turned knowing eyes to the young man and said, "You named him, didn't you."

"...Yes. His name is Yosuke," he stated, though did not see her next response coming.

"Then he belongs to you. He always will. Even though he will live here, his true home is wherever you are. I understand your situation right now, and can relate. Believe me. I promise, my husband and I will give him the best life we can. We've both spent the past couple of days studying lore on animal demons, so we will help him learn to adapt. If I'm right, he'll be hitting a growth spurt soon, so I'll try to teach him how to look human." She smiled at him. "Honestly, I'm glad he ran into that trash can. We may not be here if he hadn't."

"People won't ask questions?"

She shook her head lightly. "No one talks to us. No one even really knows us. We'll say our son transferred from the city, and that he had to stay there to finish out some courses for a college application that ended early."

"It seems like you have it settled." He stood, picking up the fox demon as he did and held him out to her. He opened his mouth to speak, faltered a moment, but gathered up his courage to do what he had to do. "He hates tofu, likes to play in water, and likes coffee, but don't give him any or you won't sleep. He's also afraid of thunderstorms, and gets bored easily. He knows how to make paper cranes now, so you might find those all over the house if he gets really bored. His favorite bento meal is noodles, rice, and curry chicken with vegetables -not that spicy, but he'll probably eat anything."

She accepted the little demon, who whimpered at being handed over, and walked behind him as he grabbed his bag and slipped his shoes on at the door.

Mrs. Hanamura spoke softly. "It's ok to come and visit him any time."

He nodded once in thanks and even smiled a little. He reached out and scratched the little fox demons ears, which had flopped down in sadness. The look in those eyes nearly made him want to snatch the fox back and run home. "Bye, little guy. Take care."

He bowed deeply to Mrs. Hanamura, then turned and walked out of the house toward the girls still waiting on the sidewalk.

Yosuke yipped softly wanting to know where he was going and why he wasn't going with him. He reached out with one hand, calling out a little more loudly. Yu was walking away. He was leaving him behind. Yosuke fought his memory to recall everything he'd learned in Yasogami high, and everything he'd heard spoken. People had been talking around him every day, and although he could understand them, he couldn't mimic their words. It was frustrating when he tried to speak and was met with blank stares. He had to get Yu's attention before the teenager was too far away. He had to try.

He squirmed in the woman's arms frantically until she let him go, and dashed on all fours out the front door. He stopped in the middle of the walk, took a deep breath, and formed new letters with his mouth and voice he never thought possible. He put in every ounce of power and concentration he possessed into the effort, and cried out at the top of his tiny lungs.

"Yu! YU!"

Yu inhaled sharply and froze at the high pitched child's voice calling his name. Even Yukiko and Chie's mouths dropped open. No one was prepared for that. He turned around to find the demon running on all fours right at him, his tail straight out.

"Yu!" Yosuke jumped as high as he could and was thankful when the other dropped his bag to catch him. He hugged him with all his strength, tears running down his face.

Yu wrapped his arms around the fox demon tightly. "That's your new home, now. It'll be ok."

The little demon shook his head from side to side vigorously.

He knelt down. "You remember what my uncle said," he began, trying to be as kind and convincing as possible without showing that he wanted run from here and pretend this meeting with Mrs. Hanamura never happened. "The Hanamuras are nice. They'll take care of you." He almost lost it when the other dried his eyes on his school uniform jacket. What Mrs. Hanamura had said about a bond forming between them was more than a fact about a mythical being. It was real. He felt it. It existed, though it was unseen. "I'll visit. It's not like this is across town. I live three streets down the hill that way." He nodded behind him. "C-c'mon. No crying."

The fox demon looked up and sniffled. "Yu."

He stood. "Be strong."

Yosuke's head bobbed up and down.

"You good, Yosuke?"

The little demon nodded again.

Yu walked him back to where Mrs. Hanamura was waiting by the sidewalk.

"Are you ok?" Her voice was soft. From her knowledge, she knew how difficult and painful this separation was for the two of them.

He paused a moment to answer, but couldn't. All he could think to give her was a confirmation sound and a nod. He ruffled Yosuke's ears once more, then turned and walked away.

Yosuke watched him leave until he was out of sight, then let himself be lead back into the house with Mrs. Hanamura.

Yukiko and Chie moved with him back down the hill into town. "You gonna be ok?" Chie asked, concerned. She didn't want to think of how hard it would be to turn her dog over to the care of someone else.

"Yeah," he breathed.

"I know what might help," Yukiko's voice slid smoothly into the conversation. She wanted to heal this situation, but didn't know what to do or say, so she thought about how she'd felt when her bird flew away, and what had dulled the pain. "My mom bought some ice cream bars yesterday. We can go to the inn and have some there."

"Yeah, that's a great idea," Chie agreed. "Whaddaya say?"

He wanted to go home and lock himself in his room to stare at the blank t.v all night for no reason. He wanted to be alone, but he knew when he got back to the house that Nanako would probably be a mess, which –in his current state—would make him even worse. If he could at least calm down enough, he'd be able to deal with her when he got home. "Sure," he said softly.

Yukiko smiled softly. "The inn is a little bit of a walk from here, but the fresh air will be good."

Yu glanced back at the hill leading up the Hanamura residence, then forward as they reached the other road and turned right. He would be fine. The first stage of change was always the hardest to overcome. He just needed to wait it out. He thought of what might distract him. "What kind of ice cream?"

Yukiko's relief was definitely evident as she sighed and smiled. "Strawberry cheesecake flavored. It's my favorite, even though I hate the color pink."

He listened to the two girls talk about their favorite ice creams and looked up at the sky. It would definitely rain tonight.

"You know," Chie began, "I heard something this morning about a weird thing called the Midnight Channel. One of the girls in class said that if you look into a t.v turned off at exactly midnight on a rainy night, you'll see your soul mate."

"That's silly, even for you." Yukiko laughed.

And continued laughing.

"Well, you don't have to laugh so hard about it," Chie grumped.

Yu smirked slightly as the two went on.

Inaba.

City of endless rain.

But at least he wasn't alone anymore.

* * *

**Next Scent: Kizuna  
**


	5. 5th Scent: Kizuna

((**So, this fic wouldn't leave me alone. Consequently, it continued for another 32 pages. I'm still working on the story. Since there's nothing (that I found) canon for Yosuke's parents, I chose names. **

**For anyone who's even remotely interested, this is the fic that never ends. The wonderful thing about alternate universes is the freedom -keeping respect to the source material. I love Persona 4. Always will. **

**Enjoy this part. :)** ))

* * *

The four touch-lights beneath the cabinets cast their feeble glow onto the two tired people within the modern kitchen. Normally, the regular ceiling fan lights would be on, but the clock on the counter read 1:25am. That much brightness would increase her headache. Sayaka Hanamura sat at the table with her head resting against her left palm. "It's been three days. He hasn't slept through the night once since he got here, and neither have we." She sipped the steaming cup of coffee in front of her lazily, set it back down, and tried to worry the fatigue from her face. The bags under her eyes told their own tale of sleepless nights trying to comfort a young fox demon. "He barely speaks, he hardly eats, and the only time he's calm is when he's watching TV."

"Then we check the book again." Yoshi Hanamura leaned against the counter with his own cup of extra strength brew. "Go online. Find a way help him adapt. He needs to learn that we are his caretakers now."

"I've done everything it suggests- even a few tricks from my own mother: hold him, sing to him, read him a story, give him warm milk, let him watch a movie, leave him alone to cry it out... There's just nothing much to go on about young animal demons." She sighed. "He either curls up and cries, or stares out the window." She pushed the thick, brown leather book across the table.

"This will strengthen the boy."

"Not like this." She lifted her head to her equally tired husband.

"All young animals or kids go through separation pains. He'll get over it."

"He's not a normal child, Yoshi, or an animal. He's a fox demon, and we have no idea what to do." Sayaka knew him well enough to know his tone was born from fatigue. He was a caring man, often stern, but he would never harm a child or an animal. That compassion was part of why she loved him. "We need to call him."

"It's too late to be calling anyone. We can deal with this for one more night." At this point, both of their nerves were frayed.

"He's a mythical creature that once aided the Gods of Japan. Everything we know covers the later years. No one bothered to document their youth. We know Izanami and Izanagi had armies of animal demons obedient to them because they would give each one a name, but we know next to nothing about the specific details of that connection. He's been separated from his Bonded too soon, and it's causing him pain. For all we know, this could be slowly killing him."

He moved to sit at the table in front of her. "You're being irrational. Sayaka, he's throwing a tantrum."

"He's in pain." Her eyes met those of her husband, unblinking, and serious. Strands of straight black hair slipped from their hastily coiled tie at the nape of her neck as she wove her fingers between his. "I may not be able to give you a child, but I can tell when one is suffering." This was an incredibly sensitive subject that they hardly ever spoke of, though in this situation, she felt it necessary to lay this card on the table. She could never be a mother, but her instincts were still there.

Yoshi held her small hand in his and brought it to his lips. He'd give her the mountains if she asked for them. They'd been trying to have a child, had even been tested, but discovered sadly that an illness in her teenage years had robbed her of that choice. He knew she felt guilty. Though he'd assured her it wasn't her fault. He would always love her no matter what, yet a part of him understood that she would never feel adequate. He did everything in his power to prove otherwise.

"If the connection goes both ways, I'll bet you a million yen that other boy is going through the same thing." Sayaka leaned back and lifted the cup of coffee to her lips.

"It's nearly 2am. He's probably asleep. Tomorrow is Saturday. We can call him then."

Thunder rumbled in the distance. They both heard a high pitched cry from upstairs. Sayaka got up and dug her cell phone out of her purse. "I'm calling him."

Yoshi sighed, though he had to agree with his wife. Perhaps the demon was indeed too young for such a drastic change. They would find an alternative to make this easier on the fox-boy, although he still believed this ordeal would teach him strength of character. Yosuke needed to learn to trust them.

She dialed the number and listened to the ring as another crash of thunder mixed with the heavy pounding of rain outside.

* * *

Yu had been sitting on the couch staring out the sliding back door. Lightning flashes lit up the water-soaked back yard, reflecting periwinkle light in the puddles. He rubbed at his eyes and leaned his head back. He was exhausted. The clock on the desk clicked over to 1:30am, and he groaned. Any decent sleep went the way of hope days ago. If he didn't sleep soon, he was going to start hallucinating—or so his knowledge of sleep deprivation dictated. He'd been subsisting on coffee and cat naps for three days.

He thought about the little fox demon and hoped he was doing all right during this storm. With the way Yosuke could sleep, he was probably dead to the world.

Something moved outside in his peripheral and set his heart racing. Maybe it was too late to avoid the hallucinations. The last time he'd been spooked by a shadow, he was a kid, and for the record, he was alone in the hotel room after watching a scarey movie he was forbidden to see. The nightmare that followed it stayed with him for days. This sense was exactly like that, only it owned no source. The last thing he'd watched that night was a late night B-rated science fiction movie from America about sharks in a tornado. Japanese subtitles scrolled across the bottom of the screen. He understood enough English to get by, but calling it B-rated gave it too much credit. It wreaked of cheese, was badly written, and so horribly made on a seriously low budget that he had to finish watching it. According to the internet, it immediately gained a cult following. Humans tended to like the weirdest shit.

He'd shut the T.V off and just lay awake staring at the ceiling.

Day number three of hardly any rest or appetite left him stand-offish to his new friends, Yukiko and Chie. He'd even given the cold shoulder to a cute girl with brown pigtails at the local tofu shop, Marukyu, after school. His apology felt weak, though she'd accepted it with an invite to come watch her sing at Aiya's Karaoke night. He'd declined, saying he needed to get some rest, but that he would go see her perform another time.

Sleep. What a joke.

He stretched out on the couch, one leg dangling over the side, and closed his eyes in hopes that the storm would lull him into a dream. A flicker of lightning burned an image into his mind of a shapeless, massive shadow-like creature sneering down at him with yellow eyes over a threatening reach of a black clawed hand.

His eyes snapped open. What the hell was that?

His phone buzzed on the seat cushion next to him. Yu took a quick moment to calm his breath and picked up after two rings once he recognized the number. "Hello."

"Yu? It's Mrs. Hanamura. I'm sorry to wake you."

"It's ok. I was already up." He walked to the door and slipped on his shoes and jacket.

"I hate to ask this of you so late at night, but, can you please come over?"

"Of course. I'm on my way." He hung up and pocketed the phone. By that time, he was already walking up the street toward the Hanamura residence. Somehow he already knew he needed to leave.

* * *

A flash of lightning bathed the room in its wicked strobe. Yosuke dove beneath the covers of his bed. He sniffled, hugging his tail, and clamped his eyes shut in fear. _It'll stop_, he thought. _It has to stop_. He peeked out at the dark room, listening to the rain. The street light through his bedroom window cast dripping shadows against the far wall. His imagination merged them together into a blob with greedy, grasping hands reaching to take the life from his heart.

Crack! Boom!

Yosuke screamed and jumped out of bed. He ran beneath the hall table. Another flare of light sent the shadows streaking toward him. Panicked, he rocketed down the stairs on all fours into the dark living room and dashed from the chairs to the couch. He froze in front of the T.V as another flash of lightning lit up his reflection in the large screen. The house was still scarily big, unfamiliar, and cold. He wanted Yu. Fear drove its nails through his tiny body, forcing him to curl up into a ball. He cried out, terrified and alone. This was a million times worse than the box. The nightmare he'd been enduring refused to leave him, even though he was awake. All he could think to do was scream, or he felt like he would be devoured alive by the shadows.

A slight breeze picked up inside the house, fluttering anything light weight. Papers rustled as though someone had turned a fan on in the room.

His wide eyes quivered in fear. Sayaka's worried voice blended with the background, though he could barely make out his name being called. The nightmare stole his willpower.

_It started out simply enough. The verdant landscape was bathed in warm sunlight as he and others like him ran around in a field. It was the perfect place to play, roughhouse, and practice their skills with other neophyte animal demons. _

_Then something turned the golden sunlight into a blood-red sky swirling with black smoke –as if the sky itself were scarred. He and the two he was with stared in confusion as a darkness grew on the distant horizon. He watched it drape over other demons –older, more powerful—and twist them into hideous monsters that snarled, gnashed teeth, licked the air with giant black tongues, sulked under hoods with chains around their bodies, or scream as they morphed into shadow-like forms. _

_The fog swept over an older wolf demon –one of the mentors to the young demons—and transformed her into a Shadow. Wretched yellow eyes stared back behind a guttural growl. The darkness had turned a once caring demon into a monster. Nothing recognizable remained of their sensei. _

_Yosuke watched in horror as the shadow mass snatched up a small raccoon demon in its jagged smokey-black hand. The demon squirmed and screamed as it tried to push itself free. The Shadow cracked its mouth open wide and held up its capture. The raccoon demon had barely learned how to use its power of bufu. It tried to defend itself with Cold, but the shadow was hardly affected. It clamped its mouth over the raccoon demon, removed its empty hand, and snarled at the rest of the fleeing younglings. _

_The raccoon demon lay on the ground beneath it, becoming visible only when the Shadow moved away. It had passed right through, lingering inside the shadow long enough to have its energy sucked completely dry. It was soon engulfed by the fog._

_Yosuke was paralyzed. _

_"Run!" He heard one of his friends –a cat demon—shout. Broken from his trance, he ran with the others as fast as he could. Chaos reigned behind them as more demons –young and old—were caught up in the tidal wave infection of the red stained sky. He ran as fast as his tiny legs could go. The Shadows continued to scoop up any demons they could find, and consume their energy. _

_The cat demon cried out when she tripped over a sudden spear of earth. The ground had morphed beneath them into a broken street with dead grass peeking through the pavement cracks of a town he'd never seen before. He ran back to help her up, though she yelped in pain. _

_"My foot!" Her ankle was twisted. She'd never be able to run from the Shadows. _

_"I'll find someone who can use Dia." It was a skill he was supposed to learn, but hadn't been given that knowledge yet. He looked around frantically, but saw only the last of their classmates. If they didn't move soon, they would be next. _

_"I'll stop it!" The dog demon, his other friend, howled at the Shadow chasing them down and charged. _

_"No! Stop!" He yelled to his friend. _

_The dog demon sent a plum of fire at the monster –a skill he had recently learned- though it caught him by the foot in mid air and tossed him aside. He yelped in pain as he rolled across the ground. Agi didn't affect it at all. _

_Yosuke stood between the cat demon and the advancing enemy, his arms stretched out to the sides, and his heart pounding._

_"Go," she mewed. "It'll eat you, too!"_

_"I'm not leaving, so shut up!" Although he wanted to run as fast as possible, nothing could make him leave her behind. They were friends. He had to protect her somehow and keep this thing from eating the three of them like it did the raccoon demon. Focusing on the will to keep his friends safe, he tried to push past the fear. _

_A breeze picked up around them. The wind changed to a subtle shade of green as it built up energy. He could feel it. Panicking, he put every spec of power into the wind attack and released it at the Shadow. _

_The monster slid backward, roared in rage, and reached for the injured dog demon –the nearest one—to restore its strength. _

_Yosuke dropped to the ground next to the cat demon, exhausted. He'd done everything he could, used up his energy, and it still wasn't enough. He and his friends were going to be devoured. He watched the Shadow lift the dog demon again to its mouth when a brilliant spear of light slammed into it. It dropped its prey. The dog demon's fur had turned completely black from its original rich chocolate-brown. _

_Yosuke saw the Shadow lunge at them through blurry eyes, saw the light pierce it again as someone new charged the monster, and passed out._

Another crash of thunder brought that nightmare back to life. He squeezed his eyes shut and screamed the only name he knew how to say. Pillows flopped over onto the floor from the couch as the breeze inside the house picked up.

* * *

Yu raised his hand to knock on the door, but Mrs. Hanamura opened it before he'd had a chance.

She'd watched him walk up without an umbrella. "Come in, please. I'm sorry to call you so late, but I didn't know what else to do. I can't get him to calm down." Her frown deepened at his pale complexion, and the heavy bags gathered under his eyes. "You don't look well. Are you all right?"

"I haven't been sleeping much." He'd never show it, but adrenaline pulsed through his veins as though he were being hunted. He removed his shoes and hung the jacket on the hooks reserved for guests.

She stood at the threshold to the living room. The breeze brushed at her hair. She quickly checked the thermostat, though it was set to a comfortable temperature. "That's odd. The fan isn't on at all." She crossed her arms. "This is the worst he's ever been. It's like he's trapped in a nightmare."

Yu could tell she was deeply hurt at being powerless to do anything for the young demon. She'd adopted him, swore to raise him and –in essence—become his mother, but she was clearly desperate. He wished he'd been her first option instead of her last, but he understood her need to teach the fox demon to trust her and her husband.

The little demon's cries cut through him like a razor. He walked through the gathering breeze into the living room. It swirled around him on a faint greenish hue in a hurricane pattern with the shivering ball of fox demon at its eye. He passed his hand through it, watching the color drift over his skin like mist. It was gaining in strength enough to catch up loosened papers and send them around the room. He glanced back to Mrs. Hanamura, wondering why she didn't notice this.

Sayaka nodded once for him to continue. She snatched up the papers that swirled near her. Though she felt the wind, she was unable to see the color of the power within it.

He sat cross-legged on the floor, reached out, and rested his hand on the little fox demon's head.

Something warm pressed lightly between his ears. Yosuke used every ounce of strength he possessed to open his eyes. He saw bare feet, familiar pajamas, and welcoming silver eyes looking down at him beneath a wet mop of straight silver hair. The sense of home that accompanied the sight had already started to push at the fear paralyzing his limbs. He shut his eyes again. How could he believe this was real and not part of the horror? This nightmare was making his see things. It was torturing him. He didn't want to be alone anymore. He tried to say Yu's name within a sob and curled up more tightly into his tail when another flash of lightning shot through the house on the back of a thunderclap.

The power went out.

Yosuke snapped.

A massive gust of wind picked up heavily at his sudden cry, blowing the pillows off the couch and tearing away anything lose to fly around the room.

Yu tucked both hands beneath him gently and lifted him into his lap. The little fox demon's hands gripped tiny fistfuls of his shirt tightly.

Real or not, Yosuke opened his senses completely to the presence and smell of the one who'd saved him. He let the warmth of the other shield him from the storm's shadows, and cried.

He'd seen Yosuke freak out to a storm before, but it was nothing like this. This was more a reaction from someone who'd experienced a traumatic event. He wondered what happened, and wished he could ask, but knew any explanation he received would be given in the demon's native language.

Yu breathed deeply despite the torrent of green wind surrounding him, trying to remain calm so the other would pick up that vibe from him. It seemed to be working. The wind steadily died down. Gradually, the demon's trembling eased, and his sobs quieted even as the storm continued to rage outside.

Inside the house, all was still.

Exhausted, he laid back so the other was on his chest, and rested his right hand over him as papers fluttered to the floor. Barely 16" tall from ears to feet, his hand covered most of the small demon's curled up body. Fatigue hammered itself into his head, and he closed his eyes to a heavy sigh of relief. He relaxed almost instantly.

Yosuke sniffled as the terror retreated and the nightmare faded away. He draped his tail over Yu's arm, turned so his ear was against his chest, and held on to the blanket of hand. The demands of the storm outside stayed away. He focused on the steady rhythm of Yu's heartbeat and buried his face in the fabric of his shirt. He was here, he was real. This wasn't wishful thinking or a dream. Yosuke finally felt safe. The nightmare's affects disappeared into the steady rise and fall of Yu's breathing. He wrapped himself in its comfort and was soon fast asleep.

Yu was already unconscious by this point. After nights of tossing and turning, and unexplainable vibes of discord, he finally felt like he could exhale.

Sayaka and Yoshi Hanamura had stayed to the side during the wordless interaction. She glanced to her husband, who nodded, and moved upstairs to finally get a full nights rest. She leaned against the threshold and watched the children sleep soundly for a few moments.

No one had ever written of the details between an animal demon and their Bonded, most likely because no one knew. The text only referenced how important that bond was for the God and their animal demons in regards to control and ownership –like the creatures of legend were pets, loyal due to accepting their name.

Tonight, she had witnessed a different, highly important aspect of that bond that the authors never touched on: it wasn't just the fox demon who was affected by it. It affected the one who named him as well. The connection between them ran far deeper than she'd thought, and she was positive neither of them knew to what extent. Starting tomorrow, she would include Yu on everything, and she would document everything.

Sayaka draped a blanket over the sleeping duo for warmth. She gently brushed her hand over the fox demon's ears, and the boy's hair before heading upstairs to leave them alone on the living room floor.

That was the first time both Human and Animal Demon had slept peacefully in three days.

* * *

The next day...

A shaft of sunlight spilled across the floor. Yu awoke to the cheerful chirping of birdsong within the light of a fresh day. He blinked the room into focus and worked to recall where he was. Man, what a night. Though he was rested, he still felt like someone had thrown him against the wall. His right hand had remained over the fox boy all night, who continued to breathe softly in sleep. Carefully, he slid his hand out from under the tail, and stretched his arms over his head.

Yosuke yawned awake on his chest, stretched, and sat up.

Yu stared up at him for a moment, pinned to the floor. "Morning."

The fox demon yipped in response and rolled onto the carpet. He scampered into the kitchen.

Yu shut his eyes to snatch another moment of rest when he felt his stomach growl. That was probably what awakened him and the fox demon to being with. He stood, stretched, and shuffled into the kitchen.

Mrs. Hanamura greeted him with a steaming cup of coffee. "Ah. The dead have arisen."

"That's probably more true than it should be. Thanks." He sat at the table and sipped from the warm cup. "I should get home before my uncle wakes up and-"

"It's noon." Sayaka smiled at his shock –the most expression she'd ever seen him give. "It's ok. I called him and said you were helping me with a project. You two slept like a pile of rocks. I didn't have the heart to wake you."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to intrude."

"We called you. You saved our sanity. My husband and I would have gone nuts with one more night of that." She looked to the fox demon, who sat on the table with a small plate and tried to eat his waffle with a shrimp fork. Due to his size, that was the smallest utensil she could give him. It was the first time she'd seen him actively try.

Yu yawned.

"You look much better. The rest did you some good."

"Yeah," he sipped the coffee. "First time in three days. It's like I was a zombie the whole time." He had to admit, he really did feel like his battery was back up to 100%.

"Then I was right. You're affected by the link between you as well. Apparently," she set a plate of waffles in front of him, and some toast, "you needed him as much as he needed you."

Yu watched the small demon balance a piece of syrup-free waffle on his nose, toss it into the air, and eat it happily, as if last nights horror never occurred. "He went through something terrible. I just wish he could tell me what happened."

She smiled warmly. "Maybe when he learns how to talk, he will."

Yosuke looked between the two, and held out the last piece of his waffle. "Yu. Waffle. Awesome!"

The other didn't know how to respond. "Uh... I have my own. But thanks."

Yosuke shrugged and shoved the rest of it into his mouth.

"He's never spoken before." Sayaka tipped the cup to her lips. She got up when the waffle maker beeped. "You may get your wish sooner than you think."

He would definitely have to call Yukiko and Chie for back up on this one. They had a lot of work ahead of them.

* * *

**Next Scent: One Month Later**


	6. 6th Scent: One Month Later

**((This is a two-chapter-post night, because they go so well together. I have reasons for all the information in my fic. Even if you don't think it's important, I have a tendency to refer back to something written pages and pages ago. Enjoy. :) ))**

* * *

_One month later..._

Junes would be closing in an hour.

Yosuke couldn't wait to toss in his apron and run home. The most important day of his life in the small town of Inaba would begin at 6am tomorrow morning.

His first day attending Yasogami High School as a real student.

If he could show his tail in public, it would be wagging with anticipation. He'd only ever been this existed once before—when he'd finally been accepted and given a name. Even though he'd been bored out of his mind the last time he was at the school, he'd been stuck in a cramped school bag with nothing to do but listen to King Moron rant on forever, read Yu's homework, draw on Yu's homework, and stare at Yukiko. It had to be a different experience this time as one of their peers, and because of his parents' back story to the administration; he would start his school social life as a second year student.

The bright catchy Junes jingle played over the intercom system for the millionth time. Commercials for the chain store interrupted his favorite shows, and squeezed in between songs on the local radio station. After just four days of working here where it played once every thirty minutes, he was sick of it.

He checked his phone numerous times during the last hour, and double checked all of the alarm clocks in the electronics department. The friendly thirty-minute warning played over the intercom system. He smiled at his mother's voice giving the customers enough time to gather up their final purchases and head to the check-out lines. Nearly everyone had vacated this area, leaving him alone near the televisions.

He tapped his foot impatiently. "C'mon, clock," he muttered to his phone. "Hurry it up."

Today was only his fourth day working as an employee, but it already felt like he'd spent a century in this store, and he was close to being done with it. It was his father's idea to give him a shift with the intent of teaching him social interactions with the citizens of Inaba. As predicted, Yosuke learned more than he'd expected about Inaba, especially the townsfolks' feelings toward his new family. Although it was understood that the Junes chain built their corporate headquarters in Tokyo, the townspeople still blamed his parents for Junes stealing business from the local mom-and-pop stores. Yosuke had come to his parents' defense on more than one occasion today, going as far as to yell at an elderly woman that did not hold back her true feelings. She'd told him right to his face that he should be ashamed of being the son of people who would destroy the livelihoods of life-long residents, that the Hanamuras were heartless corporate slaves, and that the death of this town would be on their shoulders—and by proxy, his shoulders. Yosuke could feel his hold over his power slipping as his anger grew. He had to escape to the men's room to calm down.

His parents had told him not to get too upset, or he might lose control and reveal his true nature in public –namely his ears and tail. Before he'd even learned how to change, it was decided that the town wasn't ready to know that Yosuke Hanamura was a fox demon.

Ten minutes left.

Movement to the left caught his attention. He moved through the isles to the video game section, following the person. One of his responsibilities was to make sure everyone left the department before the store closed. After the 30 minute warning, that responsibility went into affect.

The boy crouched down in front of a rack of new arrival games to paw through them.

"S'cuse me. The store is closing soon. Can you plea-" He froze when the other turned his head toward him. Yosuke's train of thought exploded completely as the other stared through him with solid black eyes above a blank expression. He looked to be the same age, but the vibe the other boy put out was powerful enough to make Yosuke slide his foot back. He didn't want to be anywhere near this kid. It felt as though whatever plagued him was contagious. He assured himself of the ridiculous nature of that thought. The guy was just creepy as hell. That's it.

The boy didn't blink once, even when he stood, holding the game he'd selected. He sniffed the air once, and smiled.

It was like a shark had just invited him to be dinner.

"Th-that's in the wrong spot. It's not on sale," Yosuke tried to crush the urge to run.

"I know," the mysterious boy slurred, as though he hadn't quite picked up the full ability to form solid words. "You're like me." He stepped forward. "I can see it."

Yosuke took a tentative step back. "What?"

The boy held up the game with cover art of a serious man wielding a katana in front of a group of people –his companions- below a title in yellow script reading, 'Jumper 2.' "It's like the red world."

"Yeah...Ok..." Yosuke moved aside to let the insanely strange boy pass with as much space as possible in the suddenly slim isle. They stared at each other as he did so, though with each slow second, the uncomfortable feeling grew. Hopefully, he would never run into that kid again.

The boy left the department. Only when he was out of sight did Yosuke heave a sigh of relief. "Dude, creepy level eleven." Yet there was something about him that seemed familiar, almost like he knew him –which was completely impossible. He'd only been living in Inaba for little over a month with exposure to its people for less than that. There hadn't been any time to meet anyone beyond Yu Narukami, his cousin Nanako Dojima, Chie Satonaka, and Yukiko Amagi.

And then there was Saki Konishi, the beauty with the hair and smile of a goddess. She worked in the women's department –well, pretty much anywhere she was needed. Saki was the first person he'd met outside his friends and family to treat him like a living being. She laughed at his bad jokes, and told him of her similar issue working at Junes, because her father owned a local liquor store. She'd said it was to help make ends meet for the family, but the town only saw her as a traitor. For once, she was happy that someone understood.

He let her memory, and the memory of his first friend drown the sense of apprehension and danger. It had been one week since he'd last seen Yu –a lifetime in his perception- and he was excited at the prospect of meeting up with the other at school. It was also his mission to find out why the person who saved his life suddenly went M.I. A.

The notification that the store was now closed was his savior. He ran to the back, happily discarded his tan and red apron into his given locker, slipped on his favorite headphones, and bolted out to the loading dock to avoid the weird kid at the check-out lines. He'd have to take the back way home by the shrine, but it was better than running into Creepy McCreeperson out there. Music blared in his ears as he leaped from the concrete surface to the pavement, landing too far out, and too smoothly for a normal man. He hadn't noticed the confusion of the two dock loaders who stared on in stunned silence.

It only took viewing his first television show the second day into living at his new home for him to become hooked on media. His parents discovered quickly that he was an entertainment junkie. So, they let him watch movies, listen to music, and offered up books. He read two of them in obedience to his parents' will wanting him to learn how to read, though quickly abandoned the pile for the more instant gratification of television and the internet. He soaked up everything he saw and read like a sponge.

Yosuke slowed to a quick walk as he passed the steps of the Tatsuhime Shrine and looked up. He remembered the stormy night that changed his life, but unlike every other time he stopped here, he wasn't upset. This time, he smiled. He would see the one who liberated him from that cardboard cell tomorrow. He continued on and wished himself luck in sleeping at all tonight.

What he failed to notice was a small figure next to a tree watching him run up the street. It moved silently back into the bushes, rustling the leaves, and disappeared.

* * *

_First Day of School..._

His phone alarm buzzed loudly, forcing him out of sleep. Thankfully, it had dragged him away from a nightmare –a reoccurring one that usually had him awake in the middle of the night. Face buried in a pillow, he attempted to turn off his phone by feel alone, though simply succeeded in knocking it to the floor. He grumbled, reached down for it, and fell out of bed in a pile of blankets. Yosuke groaned and blew the white fur from the end of his tail out of his face and rolled over. The time on his phone said 6:30am when he was finally able thumb the alarm off. His eyes widened. Today was officially his first day of school.

Awake, he put on his crisp new school uniform, having to hide his tail easily through transformation, and buttoned the black jacket all the way up. The closed collar clasp felt like someone was trying to choke him to death. He undid the hooks and top button, and breathed in relief.

"Yosuke!" His mom called up the stairs. "You're going to be late!"

She back stepped out of the way just in time to see him fly down the stairs, and held out a wrapped up bento box. "Your lunch." She kissed him on the cheek. "Have fun, dear. Remember we are a call away until 5pm if you need us at all. And Stay. In. Control."

"Yeah, I know. Thanks, mom." He put his headphones around his neck and took off out the door in a run.

"Our train leaves at six!" She called out to her fleeing adopted son with a smile. He was so eager to learn, but became bored quickly. School was going to be an interesting adventure. Thankfully, Yu Narukami would be there to keep him in check. "It's the little things you're grateful for," she sighed to herself, and went back inside to pack for their trip into the city.

They'll be back Monday night. That left today, Friday, the weekend, and all of Monday parent-free. Right now, he wasn't focused on that –as cool as it would be to have the place to himself.

He jogged up the street to catch up with a group of students. "Hey," he grinned.

The three guys just looked at each other, then to him as though he were made of insects, and quickened their pace. "Right. I'll just… ya know, stay back here." So what if he failed with them? The school was filled with people. Surely they wouldn't all give him the same derisive dirty glare.

He tried to walk with four more groups of students. When the last group cut a hasty retreat through the park after saying, "It's that Hanamura kid," and turned their backs on him, he stopped trying. Instead, he just walked. He only said hello to one other student –a short boy wearing a navy blue hat over dark blue hair—and felt his spirits lift a little when he returned the greeting. The scent that drifted to him on the breeze sparked a vivid memory of the box. Once again, the sense of familiarity followed, though it was a relief and not even close the weird level of that freaky gamer kid at Junes yesterday.

Yosuke paused at the gate to the school and looked up at the three storied building. It's stone was the shade of ivory, and the windows reflected the morning sunlight into the trees along the campus. He exhaled heavily as his heart started to race. The last time he was here, he was kept secret in a school bag able to see this world through a slim margin of space. Now it was wide open, and he was walking right into the middle of it.

He smiled when a blond-haired girl in a green jacket walked by talking to a very familiar girl in a red sweater. "Yukiko! Chie!" He hurried through the gate to catch up to them as they walked into the main building.

"Huh?" Chie turned around with her friend and faced the tall new kid running up to them. "Do we know you?"

"What? Yeah, duh. It's me. Yosuke." He leaned forward in a whisper. "The…" and held both of his hands at the top of his head, fists closed.

Chie's eyes widened. "Yosuke? What… But… You're…"

"I know, right? It's pretty cool, huh. My mom found directions for a transformation skill two weeks ago. So, I can now be in class with you guys." He draped his arms over their shoulders. "Imagine how sweet this year is going to be! The lunches, the classes, the rooftop, recess, study sessions…It'll be great!" He grinned broadly at the two.

Yukiko tilted her head to the side slightly and looked him up and down. The last time either of them had seen him was just about two weeks ago when they'd all gone to the Samegawa flood plane to relax. At that time, he was still barely tall enough to reach her knee, and he'd been covered in mud. "You were cuter when you were little."

In his head, Yosuke faceplanted against the ground. His shoulders slumped, deflated. "Wow. Tell me what you really think."

Chie smirked in a tomboyish way that Yosuke found to be a little cute –though he'd never admit to that. "We didn't even recognize you." She jabbed a finger at his chest. "But try that little trick with my skirt again and I'll galactic punt your skinny ass over the wall."

"You wear bicycle shorts. What are you afraid o—Oomph!"

Chie folded her arms, leaving him to hold his stomach where her foot planted itself. "Welcome to Yasogami High, Yosuke Hanamura."

_Wheeze_...

"Chie, he's still new to this place. Go easy on him for a little bit." Yukiko placed a hand on his shoulder caringly.

He smiled up at her. "I'm good now, thanks to-" Something on the air snared his focus completely. It was highly familiar, strong, and very, very welcoming. He looked around, not seeing its source, but knew it was getting closer. It wasn't up the stairs to his right, or behind him, or on any of the other floors. But it was nearby.

"What's up with him?" Chie asked. He had the look of a chocolate addict allowed into the private select store rooms of a confectioner's secret stash.

He stared at the open doors to the courtyard in front of the school, past the courtyard, the students in it, and the gate to one person crossing the threshold onto school grounds. He grinned. Yosuke sprinted down the hall to the door, jumped the steps to the walk in front of the building, and ran full tilt past students directly for the individual. "YU!"

Yu's silver eyes widened as the teenager barreled toward him at ramming speed. His right hand snapped up, palm out. "Stop!"

Yosuke skid to a halt in a cloud of dirt around his white shoes. "Yu! Haha!" He hugged the other tightly. "Yu!Yu!Yu!Ohmygod! Holycrap,I'msohappytoseeyou,youdon'tevenknow! Whathappened? Whydidn'tyoucomevisitme? It'sbeenawholeweek! Imissedyou! I'msohappytoseeyou!"

Yu just took it like a man. "Yosuke. Good to see you, too."

He backed up, not caring that the display of joy had drawn a small crowd of judgmental stares. "Dude! Where'd you go?"

"It's complicated." He looked the other up and down. "Your ears and tail…"

"Hidden."

"No they're not."

"If they weren't, the crowd would be a lot bigger than this." Yosuke thumbed to the staring students.

Yu glanced around. Sure enough, the others were filtering into the school talking among themselves, probably about the unusual, embarrassing antics between the two transfer students, but other than that, they ignored the two 2nd years. He blinked repeatedly, and the others attributes faded away.

The two walked into the school and up the stairs to the second floor. "I'm in 2B. What are you in?"

"2B." Yu stated.

"Awesome! This is going to be the best day ever!"

* * *

_Mr. Morooka's class. 2B..._

"This is the worst day ever." Yosuke's head thunked against his desk behind Yu, arm over his head, pencil dangling from his fingers. He would rather watch flies die.

His friend leaned back slightly. "That introduction was pretty brutal. Worse than mine."

"I almost forgot my back story. Can I go home yet? Just kill me now."

"I hear talking!" Mr. Marooka bellowed. "Any of you little shits want to fess up?"

Yosuke's head shot up from the desk, wide eyed, and scared. After the verbal evisceration he received courtesy of King Moron's Famous Bag of Rants, he didn't want to even be seen in public right now. He was about to defend himself when Yu raised his hand.

"It was me, sensei. I'm sorry."

Yukiko and Chie looked to each other, and suddenly raised their hands as well. Yosuke blinked at the three of them.

"Us, too, Sensei."Chie said.

"We apologize."

What was going on here?

Morooka smirked with wicked sin. "Well, the rest of the class can thank your sorry butts for a pop quiz tomorrow. If you feel like talking, then you brainiacs should have no problem with the test."

The class let out a collective groan and shot accusatory dagger-glares at the three instigating culprits of their future academic torture.

Yosuke sank down in his chair wishing he could transform into his native 16" small form and hide in his school bag. This class was officially made of Suck.

* * *

_Lunch. Rooftop_.

The four of them sat on the cement benches with their respective lunches, each student bearing a sour expression. It was a clear, breezy day, though the wind brought little comfort.

"A test after my first day? Oh man," Yosuke flopped backward in a whine.

"Eh, don't worry about it," Chie slurped up slices of meat from her lunch: a beef bento. "It's not like he hasn't done this before over less. Besides. It's your first day of school, ever. Spending it in detention would suck."

"Don't worry. We'll help you study," Yukiko ate her lunch with more grace than anyone else.

After watching her, he'd come to realize this was just her nature; beautiful, graceful, and poised.

Yosuke finished off the box and set it down. "There's something I gotta know. Why didn't anyone come see me for a week?"

Chie shoved food into her mouth to keep from answering, while Yukiko just looked to Yu to take this one.

Yu picked up a cluster of fried rice with his chopsticks. "It wasn't our idea." He ate the food and set the utensils down. "Mrs. Hanamura called after the third week and asked me to stay away, and to tell anyone else who knew you to do the same."

"My mom? Why would she do that?"

Yu's voice remained calm, and it usually did. "She said you needed to focus on adapting into society. I argued against her methods, but she was adamant. I had no choice but to concede."

Chie set down her empty box and stretched her arms over her head. "Yeah. He was even more silent and stoic than usual. It was kind of unsettling. He hardly said two words."

"He was miserable." Yukiko studied the taller boy closely. "Although, his 'miserable' face, and his 'happy' face look a lot alike," she mused.

Yosuke's grip tightened around the chopsticks. The others had no idea what kind of pain that time alone had inflicted on him. Sure, he could now hide among the masses as a regular person, read, write, and complete basic math, but he'd felt abandoned the entire time. His new friends had given him everything, and then dropped off the face of Inaba for a week. It may not be a big deal to them, but he hadn't been here long enough to compare that time with anything else. He thought he'd frightened them away just by being himself. "Then do me one favor." He looked up to each of them. "Give me an explanation if you do that again."

They all smiled, even Yu. "Deal."

The atmosphere lightened after that.

"I have a question," Yu looked to the two girls. "He's been in school all day, and no one's noticed the obvious points that make him a fox demon. I know I haven't slept much lately, but tell me I'm not hallucinating."

Yukiko pursed her lips as she studied their friend, then shook her head. "There's nothing to see. He looks completely normal. Goofy, but normal."

Yosuke chowed down the rest of his food. "Yeah, I told you that already." He paused. "Hey, what do you mean 'goofy?'"

"That doesn't explain why I can see it."

"Maybe it does," Yukiko tapped on her phone and pulled up a photo. She handed it over to Yu, who pulled his fingers across it to enlarge the image. "I took this picture from the book I loaned you."

He swiped the image up to read. "I see. That does make sense." He handed the phone back to its owner.

Yosuke and Chie both regarded him with curiosity. Chie began. "What makes sense?"

"It said the one who names an animal demon can always see its true self even if they change."

"Weird." Yosuke said.

Chie leaned back on her hands. "I really need to read that book."

They all finished their lunches, talked, and when the bell rang, went back to class.

* * *

**Next Scene: Myonaka TV**


	7. 7th Scent: Myonaka TV

**((Part 2 of the dual chapter update. You'll need to read "A New World" with Naoto's story in order for this to make sense. Hop to it, kiddies!))**

* * *

The four of them met up again at the gate after school for the promised study session at Junes. He wasn't working there today, so Yosuke could enjoy a beef stick and soda, and maybe catch sight of Saki Konishi if she was working the late shift. Seeing her always made the day shine brighter, even if it was raining.

Occasionally, the conversation drifted into a zone he was comfortable with, and he'd add his own comments here and there, but mostly he just listened as they walked.

A subtle motion in the trees to the side of the road caught in his peripheral. His pace slowed, though the others continued on, and he sniffed the air. The wind carried a scent he recognized, though was unable to put an identity to it. He exhaled when that short boy from this morning strode into view.

"Dude, you scared me," he chuckled. "That was kinda like a little horror movie thing you did just then with the tree and the sudden appearance out of nowhere."

The boy in the blue hat simply stepped forward, gradually pushing the other back toward a slide-wall. "You slipped up when that third year walked by you in the food court yesterday."

"Wh-what?"

"You'd better pray no one else caught that."

"Now you're creeping me out." He bumped up against the wall. He was trapped.

Naoto stared him down for a moment, looking into his eyes, then leaned back slightly. "You really don't remember, do you."

"Remember what?" He raised his hand defensively to push her back. "Look, just ease up? Don't make me hurt you."

She snorted. "Right. You'd never hurt me. You protected me."

"When have I ever done that? We've never met before!"

"When the shadow attacked me. I was hurt and you tried to fight it off with... wind, I believe, though it's hard to recall. It was right before we were taken."

"Fought what? Taken where? Dude, you're on a train to crazy town, and you're not taking me with you, so screw this."

She slammed her hand against the wall to block him when he tried to walk away. "What do you remember of the Red World?"

He paused. Those were just dreams. How could she possibly know about his one reoccurring nightmare? "The hell are you talking about?"

She stepped forward, further taking away his personal space as her insistence spiked. She didn't have time for games. Her tone of voice changed, and it felt like their conversation became more in depth, more clear, and more natural. "The place where the sky swirled with black and red ink, and a fog consumed everything and everyone."

"You were dropped on your head as a baby, weren't you-"

"There were shadow-like creatures and monsters howling in the distance with piercing yellow eyes-"

"-You're fucking crazy-"

"-and only one sense radiated from them: The desire to kill you."

"You're out of your mi-!"

"Yosuke! What do you remember about the box?!" She was in his face, yelling for the first time.

"What box?!"

"Ugh, you idiot! Stop playing dumb with me! You're a fox demon!"

Yosuke stared at her in disbelief. He licked his lips, taking a risk. "...How do you know about that?"

"Because I was in that box with you. We came here together."

He was speechless.

She smirked. "So," she backed up. "At least you remember that."

A long moment of silence lingered between them. She glanced to her feet, then to his face, reached up, and slipped the hat from her head.

His eyes widened when it revealed two dark blue cat-like ears. "You're...the other one. You're the cat." Memories of that event flashed through his mind like cut film from a silent movie. It was in pieces, but the cat demon that spoke to him in the box while he was fighting severe fatigue was definitely her. There was no mistaking her smell. He smiled. "That _was_ you at school today. Haha!" He bounced in a tight circle. "I knew I wasn't alone. I knew someone else should have been there at the Shrine with me. I could feel it, but I couldn't remember. But... Why are you dressed like a boy?"

"It's a long story. Whatever that man did tried to take my memory, too, but I fought it. I refused to forget. I bet you also didn't notice we haven't been speaking in a normal language for most of this conversation, either."

Yosuke realized she was right. He'd been so riled up, he didn't recognize when they had switched from using the common speech of Inaba to the sounds, emotions, and words of the first language he ever learned.

"You need to work on control." She'd slid into the spoken language easily and put her hat back on.

"That's what my parents said," he switched to match her.

"Have you reverted back to your true form since you changed?"

He exhaled. "No."

"You haven't done it since? How long?"

"About two weeks. I'm not allowed. What about you?"

"My parents encourage me to change at will. Your Bonded should let you be who you are."

"My Bonded? No, that doesn't sound kinky at all."

She rolled her eyes. "It's the title for the one who named you, idiot. Do you know nothing?"

He opened his mouth to answer when another voice cut into the conversation. "Hey," Yu walked up to the two, keeping his tone friendly. "We're going to have to pay for the food if we get there last."

He looked to the other and nodded. "Ah, that's right. We were just talking."

Naoto's sharp eyes flicked from one to the other. The air between the Human and the Fox Demon hummed with a similar comfort she felt between herself and her mother, Mrs. Shirogane, though it was stronger. "I see." She nodded knowingly to the 2nd year. "Excuse me?"

Yu shifted his attention to the short first year student.

"Did you name him?"

"And, look at the time!" Yosuke tried to shove Yu down the sidewalk. "We should go study now before it gets too late." He laughed nervously.

His friend deftly moved out of the way, causing Yosuke to stumble forward. He regarded the student calmly. "If you mean stupid nicknames, I have plenty."

Naoto smiled. "Nevermind. Yosuke. I will talk to you tonight. Your house. Be home." And with that, she turned and walked back down into the shopping district.

Yu arched an eyebrow curiously. Only one other person had asked him that question before, so the fact that another had done the same unnerved him. "Well. That happened."

Yosuke hesitated. He trusted Yu with his life, but wondered if the other demon would want her secret shared. He bit his lip, and hung his head. "Crap, I didn't get a name."

They walked up the road. Yu remained silent the whole time, though he still wanted an answer.

Yosuke rubbed his palms against the inside of his jacket pockets. "Dude, cut it out."

"Cut what out?"

"That thing you're doing. Knock it off."

"I'm not doing anything."

"Exactly! You want me to tell you what that other kid and I talked about, but I can't lie to you." He grumbled.

"You were going to lie to me?"

"Yes. No." He sighed. "I wasn't going to answer your question at all, but you keep doing that thing."

"Again; not doing anything."

"Yeah, so stop it." Yosuke frowned and glared at the grass along the side of the road.

A wicked thought crossed Yu's mind. Apparently his friend could sense when he wanted an answer, though he wasn't going to press the issue. He hadn't bothered with seriously applying any of the knowledge he'd learned about animal demons before now. Why not test it with something simple and harmless? Not that he would ever use his friend in that manner, of course –that would be morally wrong. He just wanted to know if it worked. "I came back to get you because I couldn't shake the sense that something was wrong." Which wasn't a lie. He thought back to one specific page in the book Yukiko had given him, locked eyes with the other, and spoke. "Tell me what happened."

"..." Yosuke sighed in resignation. He couldn't fight the urge to answer him truthfully anymore. "She confronted me about what I am, because..." He grimaced. "She's one, too." He looked to his friend, begging him to keep this a secret.

"She's an animal demon?"

"Yeah. A cat. She was in the box with me."

"I thought he was a boy."

"Nope. Dunno why she's dressing like one."

"But, you were alone at the Shrine."

He nodded. "I knew she'd been there. It made me believe I hadn't always been alone even though I couldn't remember why. Something made me forget her and the Red World until she opened her big cat mouth."

"What's the Red World?"

He fussed with the headphones around his neck. "It's this stupid nightmare I keep having where I'm running away from these solid black...blob-things trying to eat me. It honestly scares the crap out of me, an—Why am I telling you this? Can we stop talking about it now?"

"Ok." So, that's what must have attacked his friend that night nearly a month ago when he was called to the Hanamura residence. He suddenly recalled his uncle mentioning having to deal with a cat-girl at the police station. It wasn't hard to pin together that the one Yosuke spoke of was her. He left it alone for now.

"Another demon," Yosuke chuckled. "I thought I was the only one."

They walked on in silence for a while. He hadn't intended on giving Yu any kind of answer beyond 'I don't know,' and kicked himself for spilling the beans so readily. It was probably because he trusted the other completely, but something nagged at him to ask. "What did you do just now anyway?" Yosuke finally broke the quiet.

"I gave you a direct command. According to the book Yukiko gave me, and what your mom said, the one who names an animal demon has the ability to control that demon. I just wanted to see if it was true. Apparently, it is."

Yosuke jerked to a halt. "What?! Whoa, whoa, back it up. You can freakin' control me?! Dude! What the hell?!"

"Obviously I wouldn't. You are your own person." He stopped. "You were honest with me, so I'm being honest with you."

"No! That's just... No!" He paused. "Have you ever done it before?"

He paused. "Maybe once or twice."

"_Once or twice_?!

"Calm down."

Yosuke took a few deep breaths. "Like when?"

"Just now. Once when you tried to eat off my plate. When you tried to eat Nanako's science project. When you'd discovered some bubble wrap in the hall closet at midnight. When-"

"Ok, ok, I get it." Yosuke snapped his hand up. He remembered each of those instances, and the powerful will to obey that came with it, though it had never been malicious or forceful. He'd always just felt like he wanted to. "That's seriously wrong. I don't like that. Don't ever use that..."

"Compulsion."

"...compulsion thing on me again. Ok? It's kinda deh.. ..."

"Demeaning?"

"Yeah, that. I've only been speaking this language for a month, so, sorry if I don't know all the... uh..."

"Grammatical minutia?"

"Yeah, that."

"Fair enough."

They entered Junes and took the elevator to the rooftop food court. "...You're tempted, aren't you."

Yu just tilted his head upward slightly to stare at the number over the elevator.

Yosuke slugged him in the shoulder. "You're lucky we're friends. I am one-hundred-percent done with revelations for a while."

The doors slid open, and the two walked out to meet the girls at their table. Yosuke spotted the beautiful wavy hair of Saki Konishi in the distance, and smiled. His day improved exponentially. Tomorrow, he would ask her to share a beef stick with him after school.

"Hey, did you hear they found a body this morning?"

He paused just before sitting down at the table. A group of girls were talking next to a slushie stand behind them. His ears weren't visible, but his hearing was still sharp.

"Yeah, it's all over the news. That reporter, Miss Yamano, right?"

"Wow, I can't believe it. A murder. That never happens. I think she was on that weird channel, too. Did you see that?"

Yosuke refocused on the group at the table as the girls wandered away with their slushies. "Hey," he spoke up. "Did you guys hear about what happened this morning?"

"Besides you making a dork out of yourself on your first day of school?" Chie sipped on her soda.

"You mean Miss Yamano?" Yukiko opened her book for the study session. "She'd been staying at the inn. Reporters and police were all over the place asking questions. They said she was found hanging. Something like that has never happened here."

Chie frowned. "That's freaky. I hope we don't have a serial killer on the loose. How'd you hear about it?"

"It's all over the news," Yosuke repeated what he'd heard. Though he hadn't seen it himself, it was a good cover. "I watch a lot of TV."

Chie tore at a beef stick. "Hey! It's going to rain tonight. Maybe we should try watching for that Midnight Channel thing."

"Is that rumor still going around?" Yu had his own notebook open.

She nodded. "Yeah. I haven't tried it yet, though, because I didn't want to be the only one. Besides, I want to see who my soulmate is." Her grin widened at the thought of someone as muscular as Bruce Lee appearing on the screen. Sure, it was just a wish, but she didn't want to call up her best friend without the other having seen it as well. She wanted another set of eyes to assure her she wouldn't be hallucinating due to fatigue that late at night.

Yukiko tapped the end of her pen against her lips. "It might be a good distraction from the murder."

"Then it's settled!" Chie set the bare stick that once held beef onto the paper plate. "At midnight, we'll all watch it and tell each other what we saw the next day."

Yosuke folded his arms. "That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard. I've watched TV at midnight before and didn't see anything remotely like that except for reruns of "Aibou" and "Star Trek."

"The TV has to be turned _off_, dumbass," her eyes narrowed.

He continued as if she hadn't said anything. "Although, if Lt. Uhura was my soul mate, I wouldn't mind. That little dress is like that one nurse's from—ow! My shin! Chie!"

"That was me," Yukiko stated calmly.

"I'll do it," Yu spoke up.

The three looked at him curiously.

"Really?" Chie blinked. She didn't think the guys would actually go along with it. "Like, 'really' really?"

"Sure. Why not? Like you said," He slid a side look with a slight smile to Yukiko, "it would be a good distraction."

Yukiko blushed slightly with a smile to her notebook.

Yosuke leaned back in the chair with a heavy exhale. "Fine, I'm in, too."

Chie couldn't smile more broadly if she tried. Other people were actually going along with her suggestion. "Great! Now let's study so we can actually pass that quiz tomorrow, thanks to Captain Loudmouth, here."

He glared at her. "I will find a nickname for you, someday. I'm thinking something with the word 'carnivore' in it."

* * *

_That evening..._

Yosuke tiredly unlocked the front door, turned on the living room light and slipped off his shoes. "I'm home." No one answered. "Oh yeah." His parents would be out on a business trip to the city all weekend, which meant the house was his for 4 days. At last! He dropped his school bag on the couch, though his thick reddish-brown tail brushed it onto its side, picked up the remote, and flopped down onto the floor. One push of the power button, and the sounds of a local game show filled the room. He stretched, got up, and walked to the kitchen to browse the refrigerator. His white-tipped ears twitched as he perused the selection. The only truly recognizable thing that he could eat beyond making a suicide sandwich was the per-prepared dinners and lunches his parents had left for him inside plastic containers with his name and date written on a piece of masking tape across the top. He grabbed tonight's meal and a melon soda, and popped the food into the microwave.

Being a food lover, he'd learned to use the microwave very quickly. He can't, however, cook on the stove.

He popped the top of the can and chugged the fizzy sweet liquid in a few gulps. If he was going to have the place to himself, he should invite a few people over. He'd been left with specific instructions not to have any parties while they were gone, and he had to either stay at home, or –if he absolutely had to get out of the house—to call Yu. Two or three friends wouldn't constitute a 'party.' Just a friendly gathering of fellow classmates who knew his secret. He sent a text to his best friend. [rents are gone. game night. bored. come over.]

_*pi pi pi. pi pi pi.*_ His phone beeped softly with a response. [Something's up with Nanako. She's sick. I'll text when I can.]

Yosuke sighed and pocketed the phone. He sat down with the reheated food on the floor and watched the game show, occasionally glancing out the window as the fading daylight gave way to late evening. The opened school bag slid off the couch, spilling his homework onto the floor. He let it be. Homework was created by an evil being. As of today, he'd created a personal mandate to boycott any and all forms of homework.

The next hour was spent doing stuff he was forbidden to do. He jumped across the couches and chairs seeing how many times he could hit each cushion without touching the floor, he ran up and down the stairs, had a slinky race down the stairs, pretended to be the world's most amazing fox demon ninja in the back yard, plugged in his mp3 player to the home stereo sound system, danced to some amazing air guitar skills, and shot paperclips across the kitchen via rubber band.

The following hour found him folding paper cranes in front of the TV out of printer paper. He sacrificed an entire reem to the cause. A few hundred paper cranes piled up around the room. Through all of this time-consuming mayhem, the schoolbag and homework remained completely untouched.

Someone rapped their knuckles against the door. He nearly flew over the furniture to open it. Finally! Company! His future hours of boredom had come to an end. Excited, he opened the door expecting to find his best friend, but instead…

"Good. You're home. May I come in?"

He blinked down at the cat-demon girl. "Right. I forgot you said you were coming over." He moved aside to let her in. Even if this so-called 'detective prince' was his only company, it was still better than being in this huge house by himself. She wore a boys uniform from school, which made him believe he and Yu were the only ones who knew she was a girl due to their history –what he could remember of it.

She moved into the living room where the massive mounds of paper cranes greeted her. Her eyes shifted to the abandoned school work on the floor. "Nice to know you're using your time wisely."

"I hate being alone. Besides, all I did was study for a month. I need a breather." He closed the door and walked into the kitchen. A small cluster of paper cranes drifted out of his way on a weak breeze, though he hardly noticed. "You want a soda, or something?"

"Please."

He handed one over from the refrigerator and kept one for himself. "So, what's your name?"

She sipped the drink. "Naoto Shirogane. Bonded to Chief Shirogane and his wife."

"Is that how we're supposed to introduce ourselves, or... is that just how _you_ do it?"

He gained no response.

Yosuke cleared his throat, and extended his hand. He'd give this a try, because why not? "Nice to meet you again. I'm Yosuke Hanamura. Bonded to Yu Naruka-"

"I know." She took the offered greeting.

"Of course you do." He cracked open the soda and chugged. "There really has to be another word for that.' How'd you find me anyway?"

"That's been the title used for over a thousand years. I doubt anyone will change it because you have a gutter-mind. And It was purely by accident." She swiped some paper cranes off of a chair and sat down, still holding the can of soda. Her slim navy blue tail draped over the arm. Only because the other demon was letting his animal features show completely show did she dare to do the same. If this was a safe haven for him, she could find tranquility here, too. "I was investigating a suspicious person to gather intel on a case I'm working on when I saw you at the food court talking to that third year student."

"Saki Konishi?" He smiled, flicking his tail to clear paper cranes out of the way absently, and sat cross-legged on the floor. "She, uh.. she's pretty cool. She ignores me sometimes, but she's amazing. There's just something about her. Unlike everyone else here, she doesn't think I'm here to destroy the town."

"I see. Well, you let your ears become visible in public. She must really affect you." Naoto stated smoothly, as if reading the information from a page.

He stared at the can of soda in his hand. "It's that obvious?"

"Very."

He flopped backward, spreading paper cranes out on a tiny breeze.

"I also recognized your smell. Only when you walked by did I fully recall your presence in the box as well."

He sat up. "So what's the real reason you came over, other than to have a Box reunion? You're being all 'secrets' and 'code words.'" Which was how he remembered her. The more time he spent around her, the more clear his memory became. She never could take 'I don't know' for an answer.

"Honestly, I need your help." Naoto set her half-finished can on a side table. She arched her eyebrows slightly when he quickly slipped a coaster under it. This room was filled with paper cranes, and he was concerned about a moisture ring on the table?

"You don't know my mom," was all he said in response to her expression. "So. My help."

"What else do you remember about the box?"

He scratched absently at his ear in thought. "It was cramped and warm-high enough that I could stand up, but couldn't climb out. It was also dark for a long time. I tried to open the top, but it wouldn't budge. You clawed the crap out of one side, too, but never got through. That thing was surprisingly tough for cardboard. There were towels –a blue one, and a reddish orange one. It bounced around a lot, too, and you kept kicking me, and you bit my ear." He narrowed his eyes at her, though empty of any real anger. His gaze flicked to the ceiling as he fought to recall his past around the sounds of an evening drama series playing on the large television. "I remember feeling tired a lot. You kept waking me up. The food was all right; not great, but tasty. I remember feeling like I was going to barf for a while, though. Dunno why."

"Interesting." He'd repeated everything she'd already known, though from his point of view. "So, you don't recall anyone else?"

"Just this tall guy wearing a baseball hat. I can't remember his face, though. I think he had wavy hair." He frowned. "He was the one who dumped me at the Shrine."

"Anyone else?"

He shook his head as he folded another crane.

She rested her elbows on her knees. Her tail flicked idly. "There was a third with us. And I need you to help me find him."

Confused, he glanced over at her. "I spent days in that box alone after I woke up and you'd disappeared. I think I'd remember someone else." The crane was quickly tossed to the side.

"You didn't remember me." She finished off the soda and set the can down. "He's a dog demon with one black ear and solid black eyes."

That made him stop as the memory of the creepy kid in Junes returned full strength. He shook it away. "Any leads on how we can find him?"

She nodded. "Just one. He's in town. If you and I are here, then it's a solid bet he's here, too. It's only been little over a month."

One thing he knew about Inaba was that it was a very isolated place away from the rest of civilization –or what he knew of the outside world thanks to media venues. "I guess we can go looking around tomorrow after school. Not sure what to do beyond that."

"Agreed. Get some rest."

"Can't." He turned the television off so the only sound in the room was the rain that had begun to fall. "I got this thing I gotta do at midnight." He noted her eyes were glued to the window, or more accurately, the shiny, wet street outside. It would be completely ironic if she hated water. Way to fall into a stereotype. "Do...you...wanna...stay?"

Her tail flipped in irritation as she frowned at the weather. She wasn't necessarily weak to it, more like she seriously despised getting wet with a severe passion. "Perhaps until the rain lets up. I need to call my parents." Her phone was up to her ear in seconds.

His phone beeped to an incoming text. He thumbed over to the new message. [Nanako's fine now. I should stay and keep an eye on her. Are you ok?]

He typed back quickly. [Yes. The cat demon is here. Her name is Naoto. You still gonna watch the Midnight Channel?]

[Yes. It's intriguing.]

Naoto pocketed her cell phone. "I'm clear to stay here. What's this midnight project of yours?"

"It's stupid," he huffed and set the phone on the floor. "One of my friends said that if you watch a TV turned off at midnight on a rainy night, you'll see your soul mate –or some crap like that. We're all going to report back tomorrow if we saw anything, and I'm bored enough to try."

"I've heard that rumor. There's no basis of fact in it."

He flopped onto his back on the couch with his head upside-down over the edge. "According to the rest of Inaba, there's no basis in fact for our existence either." He waited a long moment before finally saying, "So, you wanna watch for it, or what?"

She sat in a chair and nodded. "It sounds interesting, and you pose a good point. Why not."

11pm came and went.

Yosuke had popped a bag of microwave popcorn to watch the Midnight Channel. Because what else should you do when watching late night TV? A few dozen more paper cranes covered the floor, and not all of them were made by his hand. He'd had enough time to show Naoto the method Yu had taught to himself and Nanako.

Being one who thrives on knowledge, Naoto accepted this method of passing time. She made a personal vow to look up a book on origami later.

By the time the clocked clicked over to 12:00am, the bowl was empty. Both animal demons had cleaned it out.

The screen flickered to life like it was trying to find a station. The image of a girl running through the street blinked in and out, though it was so fuzzed over with sepia toned interference, that it was hard to get a decent look at her features. She had long hair, and she was wearing a school uniform. Anything beyond that was guess work.

Yosuke leaned forward, squinting to try to clear the image. "Hey, that looks like-"

"Yosuke. Look behind her." Naoto pointed to the scenery beyond. Broken shops lined the street, the cement was cracked, and the sky...

His jaw hit the floor. "No way..." No way could that be real. It was a nightmare, just a horror story that invaded his dreams. It lived in his head alone. How could something like that wind up on a station that wasn't supposed to exist? It was impossible that that place could be-

"The Red World," Naoto's shocked whisper interrupted his train of thought, as if she'd been reading it.

Yosuke looked to her –noting her ears lay flat and her tail was still as the eye of a hurricane—then back to the screen. The clocked changed to 12:01am and the screen went dead. Only their reflections stared back. He rested on his heels with his tail curled around his feet. His nightmare had been transmitted to everyone who thought giving in to the fad of a local rumor would be a good idea.

Which meant Chie, Yukiko, and Yu had seen it, too.

His ears drooped. "Oh, balls."

* * *

**Next Scent: Everyone Is Someone Else  
**


	8. 8th Scent: Everyone Is Someone Else

**((Next chapter! It's a short one.))**

* * *

_Friday. May13th. Lunch_...

The gloom from last night's storm refused to leave the small town alone. It threatened another onslaught with slate gray clouds whipped across the sky like cream. The whole bleary atmosphere mirrored the mood of the five people in the traditional Japanese gazebo in the park.

They ate their lunches in silence. No one wanted to bring up the elephant in the room that crushed them during an impromptu morning assembly at school. A fellow student had been found dead at sunrise, hanging from a telephone pole. A 3rd year. Classes were canceled in lieu of parents calling to pull their children out of school for the day. The administration had foreseen this, and sent everyone home after the assembly. No one could celebrate a sudden three day weekend.

Chie tried to gauge the emotions of the others at their table. Yu looked the same as always. Yukiko held a more serious expression than usual, the new kid Yosuke invited seemed indifferent, almost contemplative, and Yosuke himself looked...

She cast her eyes to her half empty beef bowl, but couldn't bring herself to eat any more. Her friend had managed to finish his lunch, and now he just sat cross-legged on the bench next to Yu. She didn't know what to say. Her method of dealing with a hard situation was to roundhouse it to the floor and walk away victorious. He hadn't spoken since the meeting. He could be annoying, and hyper sometimes, but right now, this stiff silence was the most heartbreaking sight she'd seen since Yukiko's bird flew away.

"If I may," Naoto began softly, aware this was a delicate time. "I know you are all grieving, so please don't take my next words as insensitive."

They all looked to her, except for Yosuke. The fox demon just stared at his clenched hands in his lap.

"The case I'm working on revolves around the unfortunate fate of Myumi Yamano. The circumstances of this recent," she had to stop herself from saying 'murder,' "tragedy matches that of Miss Yamano's."

"That's right," Chie spoke up. "You're the one everyone's calling the 'Detective Prince,' aren't you?"

"You think they might be related?" Yukiko asked.

Naoto nodded to both questions. "The MO matches the state in which Miss Yamano and Miss Konishi were found. The Inaba police now believe they're dealing with a serial murderer."

Yosuke grit his teeth as the hold over his control wavered. He thought of the Midnight Channel. If he'd only known it would be her on that screen, if he could have warned her earlier that day when they went to Junes to study and not been so blithe about it... The anger quelled a bit when Yu discretely touched his back.

He was aware that everyone knew Yosuke's secret, though the girls didn't know about Naoto, and thus were not aware of her connection to the fox demon. Until Naoto was ready to reveal her true nature, Yu and Yosuke would keep it to themselves.

"It was Saki on the Midnight Channel," Yosuke's voice remained low, "I thought I'd recognized her, but I wasn't sure."

"Yosuke," Chie wanted to tell him the picture was so scattered, there was no way to know who it was, but he cut her off.

"Will you shut up and let me finish?!" He took a deep breath in regret at yelling at her. "Before then, I'd overheard some girls at Junes saying they thought they saw Miss Yamano on it, too. What if they both have something to do with the Midnight Channel?"

Naoto noticed Yu's hand remained on Yosuke's back the whole time. The two girls would most likely dismiss it as a best friend offering comfort. She knew otherwise. Yu was consciously using their bond to keep the fox demon in check. If not for that, her friend would most likely be in a raging fit right now. Her connection with her mother wasn't that powerful. The jealous twinge that followed the observation surprised and upset her. She pushed it back to focus on the case. "It's possible." Naoto ran this train of logic through her mind quickly. The dots began to add up. "The report stated that Miss Konishi was indeed the one who discovered Miss Yamano's body."

"And then she showed up on the Midnight Channel," Chie mused.

"Then who found-" Yukiko couldn't even finish her question.

"Rise Kujikawa."

Yu blinked. "The tofu shop girl? I saw her sing at Aiya's Karaoke night once. She's good."

Naoto put her empty box lunch in her bag. "She's a first year in my class. I didn't see her this morning. She was most likely giving her statement, or an interview."

"The weather report said there would be another storm tonight," Yukiko said.

"We should all watch it," Chie took a risk in voicing her opinion, popular or not. They all knew what she meant by 'it.' "Ya know...just in case she shows up."

Everyone remained silent, though it was clear tonight would be another late one.

Naoto's phone buzzed. She checked her message from her mother about the case. "I'll give you all my number. Please call if you see anything." She left the gazebo to the four and on to her mission of locating Rise Kujikawa.

Naoto studied a photo her mother had sent from the police department's database, and frowned. Something about it wasn't right. She brought up a previous photo of Miss Yamano for comparison. Two small discolorations on their heads pixelated out. Naoto drew her fingers up to enlarge the picture for a better look, and did the same with Saki's photo taken this morning. Both photos showed the same unusual dark areas on their heads above their ears. No, in these shots she couldn't see any sign of ears at all. Their hair didn't bump up, or split to the sides by anything. It was just...flat. Their ears were gone.

She zoomed in on the darkened areas, The ones on Miss Yamano had begun to show points, and the ones on Saki Konishi were round like those on the squirrel that chattered in the tree above her. She gasped. Those weren't pixelations.

Those were animal ears.

She picked up her pace to head to the tofu shop. In her haste, she didn't notice another first year student striding quickly around the path. He ran straight into her hard enough to knock the phone from her hand. "Watch where you're going," she snapped.

"Me? Open your eyes, you little—huh?" Kanji stared curiously down at her, confused.

She swiped her phone, but in a jolt of panic, realized the impact had knocked her hat off behind her as well. She quickly scooped it up and pressed it over her feline ears. Only when she looked up at him did she pause. It was the same person she'd helped at the police station the day she met her Bonded. He was her first case. Oddly, she felt happy to see him again. The feeling's origin unsettled her. "Mr. Tatsumi."

The tall blonde blinked and pointed a finger tentatively at her head. "You... have cat ears..." They were exactly like the ones on the little creature who'd cleared his name over a month ago, and these were real without a doubt. He could spot a costumed headband a mile away.

He remembered how soft they were, and how sharp her eyes had been when she's meowed at him after he repeated her name. It was like she'd been looking clear through the facade he fought every day to maintain. He didn't want to admit it, but he'd wanted to take her home that day.

She took off down the walking path. What else could she do but run? He knew of her animal demon form, but her human form was her secret identity.

A cool spring wind swept past him as he watched her go. He never thought he'd see anything like that again in his life. The ears were exactly the same, and he would bet his entire stash of imported angora yarn that they were just as soft. A being like the one in the police station didn't come around often. This short boy had the same haircut, the same eyes, identical ears, and even put off the same vibe. He kicked himself for not looking for a tail. If this boy was the same creature, or another one like the cat-girl, he had to find out, or it would drive him nuts.

He grit his teeth, determined to find the truth, and followed.

* * *

That night. The Dojima residence.

The announcement of Saki's death reversed Yu's decision to tell the others what he'd experienced the night they all watched the Midnight Channel. He could trust them, though going into a story of how a massive migraine carrying a voice that loudly proclaimed, 'I am Thou, and Thou art I,' seemed a little too weird, even in comparison to the current animal demon situation. On top of that, he didn't know where to begin explaining how his right arm got caught inside the TV.

Not in the back of the TV, or under it, but _inside_ the screen.

Thankfully, the old unit was too small, or he may have been pulled in. He'd fallen back and struck his head on the small table in his room, so for all he knew, he'd dreamed the whole thing. If anything showed up tonight, he was going to use that opportunity to find out if he'd imagined it or not. If it worked, he would tell them tomorrow when they met up at Junes for lunch.

His uncle snored loudly on the living room couch, so Yu stayed in his own bedroom tonight. Rain pattered on the window behind him as he stared into the blank TV screen. The clock ticked the seconds away to midnight. He flexed his fingers, ready to put his idea to the test if anything showed up.

12:00am.

He held his breathe.

The screen flickered to the dissonant tone of static. Within it, an image of a girl in long puffy pigtails came into focus. He watched as the screen cleared enough to make out who it was, and even the background behind her, though it still phased in and out from the curse of bad reception. She stood in front of what looked like the local live theater. A marquee with her name lit up in lights over the elaborate doors.

"Hey, boys," the girl on the screen bent over so her ample cleavage took up most of the frame.

Yu hardly noticed she was wearing a trendy pop star outfit –scratch that—that she was wearing anything at all.

"And girls. I don't discriminate." She laughed. "Everyone _loves_ to be entertained, and I am _dying_ to show you my stuff," She shimmied her chest in time to a giggle, then leaned back so the screen showed most of her well-shaped body. She had legs that went from here to there and back again. "Let me sing for you. Let me dance!" She spun in a circle, the curls of her brown hair catching on a breeze. "Come see me, the Dark Diva, tonight. Watch me bare my true self." The girl smiled, winked, and leaned forward again. "Just. For. You." She giggled and blew a kiss at the camera Marilyn Monroe style.

The image fizzled back into static, and disappeared.

Yu stared transfixed at the TV.

A crack of thunder snapped him back to the present. He rushed the screen just as the clock ticked to 12:01am, and slapped his palm to the glass. For a moment, he thought it wouldn't work since it was past midnight. He exhaled in disappointment. Damn.

Then without warning, it vanished. The screen rippled as he lurched forward in a cry of surprise. His hand passed completely through up to his elbow. He grit his teeth against the sensation of a cool, vast empty space where his hand should have come out the back of the unit. He pushed his hand and foot against the TV and pulled his arm free. Curious, he pushed up the sleeve of his gray baseball shirt to check for any damage. Not a single scratch. He was perfectly fine.

The clock read 12:02. This happened after midnight, which meant it could be possible to do this at any time, or maybe from any television.

His phone buzzed in his pocket. He steadied his breathing and answered. "Yeah."

"Dude! Was that her?!" Yosuke's voice exploded from the phone.

"Yeah."

"Oh man, she's hot! Why didn't you tell me she was a babe?"

"She didn't look like that before." Though he would never argue against the 'hot' factor.

"Right. Hey... that place she was at looked like downtown, but the sky was like..." Yosuke's tone dropped to a more serious level," ...it was the same as last time."

"Let's talk about this tomorrow morning at Junes."

"I'll call the others."

Yu hung up and pocketed the phone.

Regardless of what happened when the sun came up, he was going to tell his friends everything that occurred tonight –from the strange voice, to the television set attempting to eat him alive. If the people who appeared on the Midnight Channel were ending up dead, they had to figure out what was going on, and find Rise Kujikawa before someone else reported another body on a telephone pole.

* * *

**Next Scent: The Red World**


	9. 9th Scent: The Red World

**((This is a two-parter. According to my friends, it has all the Feels.))**

* * *

_The next morning. Junes food court..._

Yu, Yosuke, Naoto, Chie, and Yukiko sat around their self-claimed table near the edge of the rooftop. The place had just opened, so the crowd in the mega store remained at a trickle.

"So, that was her on the Midnight Channel," Yukiko said.

"I checked around yesterday, but no one had seen Miss Kujikawa the whole day." Naoto picked at her food. "My instincts tell me she's defiantly the next victim."

Chie tapped the table top. Anger swelled in her at the audacity of this moron kidnapping people. "Then we have to find her first. Was there anything anyone saw on the Midnight Channel that might give us a clue?"

Everyone stayed quiet, due to the fact that no one had an answer.

Yosuke weighed the pros and cons of telling them about the similarities between his nightmare of the Red World, and the background of the Midnight Channel. He knew Naoto's secret needed to be protected, but lives were at stake here. He trusted Chie and Yukiko with own, and –thanks to his hours spent in front of the television set and computer—he'd seen enough science fiction movies to know where their destiny lie if anyone of the 'evil scientist' crowd discovered what they were. Experiments in a lab, and needles would be their future. Still, he knew these two enough to feel safe in revealing her secret.

He opened his mouth to release that can of worms when Yu spoke up.

"My hand went into the TV last night."

They all stared at him. "So, that just happened..." Yosuke blinked.

"Sorry. What?" Yukiko wasn't sure she heard him right.

"And the previous night, too. It tried to pull me in, but the screen was too small."

Chie exchanged curious glances with the others. "Um, are you sure you didn't hit your head or something?"

"I did the first time, but not last night." He continued.

"Going into the television is impossible," Naoto stated.

Yu regarded her calmly. "So is the Midnight Channel, and so are-" He bit his tongue from nearly blurting out the truth about animal demons. He stood. He was prepared for this. "You don't believe me? Fine. I'll prove it."

The four followed quickly to keep up with his long-legged stride.

"Dude, I believe you. I can tell you're not lying." Yosuke said.

"I know you can," Yu chose the stairs instead of the elevator. The slim stairwell echoed their footsteps in perfect reverb down to the third floor. "But they can't." He marched into the the electronics department and straight to the back where the TV sets welcomed shoppers to purchase them with their low, low prices.

They stopped in front of the largest one in the back marked up way too high, even with a 'sale' sticker on it. Thankfully, this area of the department was free of customers, so they had this corner all to themselves. Yu held up his right hand, palm up to the massive, dark, flat screen, and touched the tips of his fingers to the liquid crystal surface.

The others mouths gaped open in shock as the screen rippled and swallowed his hand.

"Believe me now?" He withdrew his arm and flexed his fingers. Again, nothing was damaged. This also solidified his idea that he could do this at any time of day with any television.

"I don't..." Yukiko stuttered. "But how..."

"I don't know. It just happened."

Yosuke placed his hand against the screen, but it did not yield the same results.

The sight of the rippling effect drew out Naoto's memory of the red world, or more specifically, the wall the box carrier had jumped through to escape the darkness.

"Yu," Yosuke turned to his first friend as he felt a rush of excitement, fear, and resolution. "We can save her. We couldn't save Saki, but we can save Rise."

"What the hell was that?"

All eyes turned to the new intruder. Naoto felt a knot of apprehension drop into her stomach. Oh no. This was no what she needed right now.

Kanji strode forward. "His hand just went completely through the screen!"

They had to diffuse this situation, and it had to happen fast before anyone else came into the store. Kanji didn't look like the type of person to be up in the morning browsing for music, or the latest MP3 player, or alarm clock. She scowled. "Did you follow me here?"

"What? No, I didn't follow anyone."

"I could tell someone was tailing me yesterday. Call it a hunch. Stalking is a crime, Tatsumi." Even though he towered over her by more than a foot, she still exuded a sense of 'don't mess with me.'

"I wasn't stalking anyone!" Kanji defended.

Naoto responded with pure sarcasm. "Right. You're here to pick up the latest "One Direction" CD."

Seeing a prime opportunity for a joke in one of those television moments that seemed like a good idea, but in hindsight would be the exact opposite, Yosuke folded his arms and chimed in before thinking it through. "Nah. He's here for the Justin Beiber album."

Rage. Kanji felt it boil up inside as he clenched his fists. "What are you trying to say, you little shit?" He grabbed the older student's white jacket by the collar with a menacing growl.

Yosuke's eyes widened in fear for his life. "N-nothing!"

Yu and Chie struggled to pull the two apart. "Let him go!" Yu wedged himself between them and tried to push them back.

Naoto pried at his fingers.

Chie thrust a hard side kick at his hip.

Kanji buckled in pain, grabbed Chie's leg to balance, but fell against Yu, who pushed into Yosuke, who grabbed Yukiko's arm instinctively to keep from falling, who in turn fell against Naoto.

The whole group tumbled back against the TV. Only, they didn't knock it over or break a single piece of technology. The screen rippled, further stealing all hope of anyone remaining on their feet, and gave way completely.

Yosuke heard the others scream as the Junes electronics department morphed into a mass of shifting black and white frames. The ground vanished. It wasn't so much that they were falling, because it didn't feel like the pull of gravity. It was more like they were sliding, or being propelled through the air at an insane speed. There was no way to tell how far they were going, or how fast, but if they hit anything at this point, they would become smears on whatever surface they were unlucky enough to impact. He scrunched his eyes shut around the cries of terror from his friends. Even Yu didn't hold back his emotion this time.

Well, this was it. He supposed a month of memories wasn't such a bad life...

He hit the ground, but only at the momentum as if he'd tripped. The groans of the others drifted into his hearing and he opened his eyes. Fog surrounded them, but it was nothing worse than a regular misty morning.

Yu grunted and got to his feet. His back hurt, though thankfully the pain was fading. "Is everyone all right?"

"Yeah. Ow..." Chie sat up.

"I don't think anything's broken," Yukiko was helped up by her best friend.

"I'm ok," Naoto stood and looked around. Her eyes widened, and her ears twitched beneath her cap. The air was heavier, though gut-wrenchingly familiar.

Yosuke sat up and rubbed his butt. "I think I fell on my phone." He pulled the tech out of his pocket, and sighed happily when it activated. "Nope, it's fine." He frowned. "No service, though."

"Where is he?" Kanji sat up and looked around, though couldn't see more than a few feet past his hand. "Say that again. I dare you."

"Hey, That's enough!" Yu ceased all conversation –mostly because he never raised his voice, and they weren't used to it.

Chie blinked. "Where are we anyway? I can't see past all this fog."

"Me either. It's thick as soup here." Yukiko reached for the nearest hand for assistance.

"It's not that bad," Yosuke stood and helped her to her feet. "I can still see ok-ish."

"It's a little thick, but not debilitating," Yu noted. The area they landed on resembled a giant stage set up for a rock band, only without any sign of a band, or a crowd. In fact, they seemed to be the only ones here.

Naoto blinked through the red hue, then tipped up her hat to look at the sky. Her ears drooped beneath its protection. "Oh no. This is-"

"-the red world," Yosuke stepped up beside her. The details of his nightmare returned, and he suddenly wanted to be far, far away from this place. And 'far away' wasn't far enough. "Oh man. Why couldn't that just stay a nightmare?"

Yu walked forward, taking in what scenery he could make out. The buildings, the sky, the street, all of it seemed like a ghost town mirror of Inaba. "It's the same as the Midnight Channel."

"The what?" Kanji tried to part the fog in front of him to no use. He could see about 8 feet ahead, but that was it. "What in fresh hell is this place? Will someone explain to me what's going on?"

"If you promise not to beat anyone up," Chie snarled.

He sighed. "Fine, I promise not to beat the snot out of that transfer student."

Yu cleared his throat, and told him everything they knew about the Midnight Channel.

When the explanation ended, Kanji had to take a catalog of his satiny, then a deep breath. "So,... you guys are here to rescue this Rise girl," He rubbed the back of his neck. "Man. Not what I bargained for today. So, does anyone know how to get out of this fun house?"

Silence.

He cursed.

Yosuke needed something to distract him from the threatening memories of his nightmare, and the box, so he focused on one specific task. "The more we talk, the more danger Rise could be in. I'm not going to stand around and wait for her die, too." He marched off into the fog.

"Hey! Wait up!" Chie grabbed hold of his hand. She couldn't see a thing, but if he could, then they needed to stick together, or they risked getting separated. This was not a place she wanted to be alone in. Ever.

Yukiko held onto Yu's left hand, staying close.

Naoto rolled her eyes. "Come on." She snatched Kanji's hand.

He walked along with her. "Hey, how come you guys can see and we can't?"

Yu, Yosuke, and Naoto all floundered for an excuse. They looked to each other, figuring the demons could see because they weren't human, and Yu could claim his bond with the fox demon as an excuse.

"Um," Yu cleared his throat. "Carrots."

Kanji didn't bother hiding his confusion. "Carrots?"

"Yeah," Yosuke tried. "They make your eyes bright. My mom says that all the time. Haven't you heard that saying before?"

"I eat a lot of carrots, and I still can't-" Yukiko hushed when Yu squeezed her hand in a silent but friendly message to shut up.

"You guys are seriously weird."

"You have no idea," Naoto muttered.

They walked into downtown Mirror Inaba. The streets were devoid of traffic of any kind –cars, bicycles, scooters, pedestrians—and the shops swallowed up any light into their dark windows, reminding them of sets for a movie rather than a living town. The hospital loomed above the street with vacant eyes. Every building they walked by held the same feel. The only light to bleed through the fog came from the street lights and the blood-red sky. Occasionally, the quick movements of unidentified forms flickered into view, then faded away like smoke from a freshly extinguished candle.

Yukiko shot a quick look to her left where a pair of yellow eyes stared out at them from a 2nd story window.

When they finally stopped, it was in a courtyard that did not exist in their town. A path of yellow stones lead up to the front doors of an old fashioned theater sporting a glowing marquee. It was the same they'd witnessed on the Midnight Channel. If the scene didn't tell them this was their target location, then the giant poster of a charismatic Rise Kujikawa dressed as a singing diva reaching out to a non-existent crowd left no doubt.

"Yup. This has to be the place," Yosuke remarked.

"Your powers of observation are astounding, Yosuke." One could cut the air with the razor of Naoto's sarcasm.

"This is the only place with any life." Yu lead the group in a run through the courtyard and up the steps to the open double doors.

The lobby of the theater came straight out of a classic photo of the great Broadway theaters shown in magazines. Gold leafing covered the flying buttresses, the cherrywood curving banisters shone as if they'd been freshly waxed, and the carpet wreaked of gaudy 1920's art deco design. Two doors directly in front of them hosted sweeping handles looping into the points and curves of leaves.

"It looks like someone cloned the Great Gatsby," Yukiko took in the entire visible scene –what she could make out through the fog that filled the building.

They pushed through the ornate doors right into a spacious live theater. Two levels of balcony seating soared over their heads. Individual box seats decorated the walls, but round seating areas on the floor replaced rows of seating, as though someone had designed this classical theater to blend with a strip club –two things that should never go together. This was definitely not the theater that actually existed in Inaba.

The stage itself supported a closed golden curtain. A slim microphone stood at center stage, and behind it, cradling the mic in one delicately painted hand was Rise.

She grinned at them, giggled, took the mic from its stand, and kicked it over. "An audience! Finally! Someone who can appreciate my talent! This one has done nothing but whine and cry. It's amazing anyone listens to her at all. What a pathetic little brat!"

"Look! There she is!" Naoto pointed to a red velvet cushioned bench right in front of the stage with a girl laid across it dressed in normal clothing. A white apron was tied around her waist, and a kerchief secured over her hair.

"I can hear her, but I can't see that far," Chie squinted to no avail.

"If that's Rise, then who's that?" Yosuke pointed at the songstress on stage.

Yu ran past the group toward the couch. The sooner they got her out of this psychedelic hell hole, the sooner they could find a way back to reality.

The Dark Diva laughed at him and pointed her microphone at the girl on the seat. "Come save her, Hero." Her yellow eyes stared unblinking at the others. "Make her the star of your heart. It's what she wants."

Rise Kujikawa blinked to see through the fog at the new silhouettes that joined her in her personal hell. "N-no..." she muttered to the silver haired guy who knelt by her. "G-get away..." She was too tired to fight anymore. The fog had started making her sick. She could hardly move. For the past hours—or days, she wasn't sure—she'd been bombarded with her own image ripping her psyche apart with claims of self-centered greed bouncing from social experience to social experience. She'd denied it all, yet the face that jeered her was her own.

"It's ok. We've come to get you out of here." Yu lifted her off the couch.

"I remember you. You were at Karaoke that one time," she whispered.

He nodded. "You were good, by the way."

She smiled slightly.

"Touching. Really." Shadow Rise laughed in an artful dance and gestured with both hands to the hotbox in the balcony above the floor. "And now for the final number. Get ready to meet the true Rise Kujikawa!"

He stumbled backward as a bright spot light burst to life onto the couch. It barely missed them.

The Shadow stretched her arms into the air. In response to her control, the spotlight drifted across the room toward the two.

Yu raced to the group. It may have just been a spotlight, but in this place, if it chased you down, it had to be bad.

Kanji took over carrying Rise without even asking. He was taller than the other boy, and knew he could run faster while carrying someone else. Anything that got them out of here in the time of 'right now' took precedence. He lead the others back to the lobby.

"The show's not over yet!" Shadow Rise slammed her palm against the stage. The spotlight flared, became brighter, and shot up to her fleeing audience.

It engulfed the last one to reach the threshold.

"Ah!" Chie screamed as it snared her in place. The light felt like it was burning her up from the inside out. She collapsed.

* * *

**Next Scent: Come Save Her, Hero**


	10. 10th Scent: Come Save Her, Hero

**((Part two. Grab a tissue.))**

* * *

"Chie!" Yosuke and Yukiko yelled.

Yu tried to pull her away, but jerked his arm back as the heat of the light hit his hand. Tiny rivulets of steam drifted up from his skin. He saw curved claws extend out from his fingers like a cat, then disappear. "What...?" He shielded his eyes from its increasing brightness, though could not cover his ears from her scream. At last, the light faded, as did the cry of pain.

The spotlight shut down, forcing his eyes to readjust. When they did, Chie was nowhere in sight. He glanced at her crumpled up jacket. Gingerly, he lifted the abandoned, favorite article of clothing, though wasn't prepared for what the beam left behind.

Chie was shaking, curled up on the floor. Two honey-colored floppy ears drooped over her head, and a tail like that of a golden retriever stuck out from beneath her shirt. It had only changed her body, but left her clothes alone.

Fighting the shock, he wrapped her green jacket around her and picked her up. She was smaller than Yosuke as a demon.

Everyone stared as Yu ran back to them cradling the puppy girl.

"What happened to her?" Kanji's eyes widened. He was now officially freaked out –despite how cute the puppy looked.

Yukiko accepted the new dog demon from Yu so he could fight if he needed to.

"That beam must have turned her into a full animal demon." Naoto thought back to the photos of Myumi Yamano and Saki Konishi. Realization of what had happened to them slapped her in the face with a metaphorical brick.

"Not my intended target, but she'll do as an understudy. One can always learn the art of stealing hearts." The Dark Diva giggled. "In fact," she raised the microphone to her mouth so her voice echoed through the room. "That sounds like a good idea. C'mon, boys. Hand 'em over." She waggled her fingers at the group. "Ahahaha!"

"O-our hearts?" Rise muttered. Though she was weak, she didn't like the sound of that at all.

"I like my heart where it is, thanks," Yosuke held up his hand.

Something large, round, and striped in red and black formed out of the fog. It had no eyes, or legs, or even a body. It was nothing but a floating head, and a giant sickly black tongue.

"What are those?" Yukiko started to back up toward the front door. She had no weapons, no way to fight it, and she knew it was staring at her even though it didn't have eyes.

Another one formed to the right.

Yosuke faced one while Naoto faced the other. "We can't take them on. We never learned," He fought to remember anything he could about this world.

Naoto stared down the tongue creatures' advance. "You protected me once." Curved claws extended out from her fingers. "You can do it again."

"What? I don't know how! You're the one with the built-in weaponry!"

"Your nightmare is not a nightmare. It happened! This _is_ the Red World! Our lives were in danger then, but you wouldn't leave me behind. You _have_ to remember what you did that stopped that monster!"

"How am I supposed to remember that?!" He glanced to the small puppy demon in Yukiko's arms. Little Chie sniffed the air, blinking slightly, and asked what was going on. He cringed. The words were in their language. She retained the basic look of a human –much like his and Naoto's natural form—but he could tell she was fading fast. Her head lolled to the side as she passed out.

"What are you two talking about?" Kanji cringed when one of the floating monsters tried to lick him. He dodged, but holding Rise meant he couldn't dive behind anything for protection. He shut his eyes, expecting it to eat him, or slobber on him, or dissolve him in acid—whatever it was going to do, but nothing happened. He opened his eyes, blinking in shock. "Naoto?"

Naoto stood with her arms crossed in front of her, claws out, growling at the striped monster. The enemy bore long gashes down its side. It shook itself from the attack. She told herself she was guarding Rise. They were enduring this torture to rescue her, after all. When she glanced back to check if she was all right, it was Kanji's face she looked to first, his well-being that owned her concern. That didn't make sense. She didn't know him at all. "Take her and get out, now!"

Yu thought back to that night a month ago when the fox demon had felt threatened and the world was still new. He'd somehow managed to create a gale inside the house. He'd only calmed down when Yu had come over at the request of Mrs. Hanamura.

Yosuke's heart raced as he consciously recalled that nightmare, specifically the moment when the Shadow was bearing down on them with intent to eat them alive. He trembled. Suddenly, without thinking, his hand snapped back and grabbed hold of Yu's wrist.

Yu's eyes snapped open wide. A rush of images slammed into his mind. He saw the shadow through Yosuke's memory—which was like looking at a giant through glass. He saw it lift the tiny young raccoon demon and devour it, then he saw it come for him and a cat demon on the ground beside him. He understood then the emotion that had drawn out that power.

He twisted his hand to clasp the others wrist as well, and nodded once.

Yosuke let him go and faced the two tongue-monsters. He had to fight this nightmare. He had to try, or they would all die. He focused on that moment, on saving their lives. A rush of green breeze formed around him. It swirled in a hurricane pattern, gaining in strength, and using every shred of power he could find. He had no idea what he was doing, but it seemed to be working. One word flared briefly to the front of his mind. _Garu_. He zeroed in on the two monsters, and thrust his hands out at them.

The green wind coalesced into a sphere that slammed into the two assailants. It sent them back into the walls flanking the door to the house. Both fizzled into a black miasma.

He planted his hands on his knees. "Holy crap." He panted.

"Putting it lightly," Kanji stared at the kid he was going to beat up that morning, and was kind of glad he didn't. He still didn't know what to make of any of this, but shock had driven back any logic a long time ago. Right now, he was rolling with the punches. He set Rise down. "You all right?"

She nodded. "I think...I can walk."

"Yeah, well you'd better run."

"We need to get her out of here." Yukiko glanced to the small dog demon. "She looks like she's getting worse." She brushed at one of Chie's ears. Her best friend, the one person who knew her better than she knew herself, had fallen victim to the attack just because she'd shoved Yukiko through the door first.

The puppy demon whimpered, stirring slightly. She was barely conscious, but holding on.

"Oh, thank God." Yukiko exhaled in relief. Her friend had survived. Chie was always the stronger one, so if anyone could survive that, it would be her. She hugged the little dog demon. "Stay with me, ok? We'll fix this."

Chie blinked tiredly up at her. She was so out of it, she couldn't even understand her best friend. Plus, her whole body felt like someone had shoved her into a trash compactor.

The group ran out of the theater back to the courtyard and down the stairs.

A cluster of four of those tongue-monsters blocked their path. Shadow Rise stood in the middle with her microphone. "Leaving so soon? But you'll miss the matinee."

Yosuke felt like he's just been kicked in the nuts. "Oh, _come on_!"

Naoto growled. "You know, I'm really getting sick of her."

Yu couldn't agree more with that sentiment. He could feel his skin tingling.

One of the tongue monsters charged.

Weak, but feeling like she needed to repay them for rescuing her. Rise pushed Yukiko out of the way just in time to be licked up her entire body by the creature's enormous, thick black tongue. She cried out and hit the ground, dizzy. The world spun around her name being called by the girl in the red sweater. She could feel Yukiko trying to shake her awake, and worked desperately to sit up. Pins and needles thrummed through her limbs. "I can't...move..."

Naoto stood in front of them in a fight stance with her hands up, claws ready to slash if it got any closer.

Kanji faced down the other side with his foot back, ready to box the next monster that dared to get close. "C'mon, you freaks!"

Yu looked to his friends, to their situation, and clenched his fists. They had no way to fight these things, and Yosuke had used up his energy taking out the two inside. This was it. This was how they were going to die. Not by a car accident, or through old age, or even the flu. Nope. They would all be killed by strange energy-sucking monsters, and a heart-stealing devil diva with a microphone. A headache began to pound at the center of his forehead. He pressed his hand to it, though the same voice he'd heard two days ago returned.

'_I am Thou, and Thou art I_.'

When he pulled his hand away, it held a blue card.

Shadow Rise spun the mic by its cord and caught it in her hand with a stomp of her high heel to the ground. "Can't have a party crasher."

"Yosuke, take Chie and the others and run." Yu closed his hand around the card.

"Forget it. I'm not leaving you behind."

Yu locked eyes with him. If they didn't leave now, they would all die. He had to protect them. "Go!"

"Like hell I will!"

He grit his teeth, breathing deeply. He didn't want to do this, but the fox demon gave him no choice. "Yosuke! I am your Bonded! I am giving you a direct command! _Take everyone and run_!"

Yosuke froze, wide eyed and speechless. He felt his foot slide back. Yu had given him his word that he would never used that ability against him. His friend would die if he had to fight these monsters by himself. He would lose his Bonded –his best friend—and that scared the crap out of him. "Yu..." He stepped back again, though tried to stop himself from obeying the command.

"Go!"

Yosuke grimaced, "Dammit!" He gave in and ran to Rise. "Help me carry her," he said to Kanji.

The tall boy easily picked her up again. Kanji was about to ask why he was obeying Yu, but the pained look on the others face was enough. Somehow, he was being forced to leave his best friend behind.

"This play ends with the Hero's death." The Dark Diva leveled the microphone at the one with enough courage to remain in the middle of the lion's den. It lit up in her hand like a hot poker. "Everyone loves a Tragedy."

Yosuke looked back. _Take everyone and run!_ A way out of this struck him like lightning. He skid to a halt.

"What are you doing?!" Naoto yelled.

"Everyone... I have to get everyone!" 'Everyone' included Yu. Freed of the order, he turned on his heel and took off at his fastest speed –faster than any normal human could run, weaving back through the tongue monsters.

Yu stared down the Dark Diva.

"_Per_..."

The energy beam cut a path through the air right for his chest.

"..._so_..."

Yosuke leaped in front of his best friend.

"..._na_."

Yu crushed the card in his hand.

Blue energy swirled around him, lighting up his eyes and pulling from every cell. Above him, the figure of a warrior formed. It held a sword out to its side, becoming more solid as the power exploded from Yu Narukami.

Kanji, Naoto, and Yukiko stared at the giant black-clad samurai that easily dwarfed the enemy.

"Izanagi!" Yu swept his hand out at the threat.

In response, the ethereal warrior spun the sword over his head, and launched himself through the air at the nearest monster. A slash of the blade cleaved it completely in half. Yu thrust his hand up and out. The samurai mimicked the motion. It uppercut the second monster into oblivion, though the third clamped its teeth around his arm.

Yu cried out at the pain shooting through his left arm.

The giant warrior pried the enemy away, ripped its mouth open, and tossed it aside as he circled around. He pierced the last monster through its center clean through the back. The creatures burst into the same sick smoke as their counterparts inside.

Yu and Izanagi both faced shadow Rise. His arm hung limply at his side as he shifted his feet into a more sturdy ready stance. Yu swept his right hand out. His Persona did the same. He flicked his wrist up, keeping his gaze fixed on the Shadow. Izanagi clutched the hilt of the blade in both gloved hands. If he was meant to perish here, then he would go down fighting with every ounce of life he possessed.

Shadow Rise spun the mic above her head and charged, lifting off the ground. The cord of her weapon whipped around Izanagi's neck. She grabbed both ends and pulled hard.

The rubber cable strained as its coils constricted.

Yu clutched at his own crushing throat with his good hand. It strangled him though his Persona was the one taking the hit.

"Eeyah!" The diva jammed her perfectly manicured clawed fingers into Izanagi's chest. "Give me your heart!"

Yu lurched forward as shards of glass dug themselves into his skin. A single word flared in his mind. _Zio_!

Izanagi clutched the cable. Electricity exploded from his hands, down the wire, right to the Dark Diva.

She saw that coming, though wasn't able to get out of the way fast enough to avoid it. The shock sent her screaming across the courtyard. She slowly staggered to her feet, laughing the whole time. "So, you wanna play? Let's play." Her body grew as she charged Izanagi, spinning the microphone like a bladed ax.

Izanagi dodged, though cut his sword through the air.

The giant shadow back-hand-overed away. She spun in a circle of laughter and rammed her foot across his face.

Both Persona and user lurched to the side in response.

The attacker vaulted into air straight for the samurai with her spinning blade of microphone.

Izanagi met her charge, ducked suddenly, and slashed across her middle.

The evil shadow hit the ground and rolled, shrinking back to her normal size. She grinned up at Izanagi and Yu. Her body flickered the same as the Midnight Channel.

Yu caught his breath and clutched at his chest. The needling pain around his heart gradually faded.

"I just wanted the world to love me," the shadow muttered.

Rise cringed in shame. She tried to tell them the Shadow was right. She knew she always wanted to be the center of attention, and that the world meant nothing if all eyes weren't on her. But that wasn't all she was. She was caring, and thoughtful. Sadly, she had to accept her shadow's claims. Maybe then it would stop trying to kill the people who'd come to rescue her. She curled up against Kanji.

The Dark Diva sighed happily, closed her eyes, and dissolved into a gray mist.

A small card appeared over Rise's head for a second before blanketing the paralyzed girl with blue light. She shuddered.

Without any other threats, Izanagi lowered his sword and faded back into the soul of his person.

Yu dropped to his knees as he felt his Persona return, then back to rest on his heels. He breathed heavily. His arm hurt like hell, and he was light headed, but he'd used that...thing—his 'Persona,' to deal the final blow. He closed his eyes momentarily. The danger was over...though something still gave him that sense of impending dread.

His eyes shot open. "Yosuke."

The fox demon lay on his side, his tail motionless against the ground.

Yu crawled over the short distance to where his friend landed and ran his hand across the others soft ears. Yosuke didn't move. Shadow Rise's beam had forced the young demon back to his natural, small form. Changing of his own free will the first time had been difficult enough. To be forced back must have been too much to bear. She'd stolen his transformation control in an attack meant to suffer Yu the same fate as Chie.

Yosuke had scarified himself to save his life.

His stoic resolve shattered. Yu scooped up the little fox demon's limp body –baggy shirt and all—into his arms, moving his left despite the pain. _I told you to run. Why didn't you listen? Why did you come back?_ He tapped one finger against his face._ Wake up, Yosuke. _Yosuke showed no reaction, and Yu couldn't tell if he was breathing or not. His eyes widened. _Oh god... Wake UP!_ Screw it. Just screw it and everyone who saw him. He held the small demon he'd rescued a month ago from a rain-soaked box with 'FREE' painted sloppily on the side, and stopped fighting his sorrow.

Though he could still feel the bond, he was terrified it would vanish, and he would -again- be left alone. Yu brushed his palm over his animal demon's head, and tried the one thing he knew his friend wouldn't like, but it was the only chance he had left. He licked his lips, focusing on the full meaning and power of each word. "I am your Bonded," he whispered, "You are my animal demon." Yu let his thumb rest over the little fox's forehead. "I am giving you a direct command...to wake... up." He tightened his hold to protect him, give him energy, whatever he needed. He had to obey the command. That was the rule of the Bonded and their Animal Demon. He didn't know what he would do if he had to walk away and leave his friend alone in this world forever.

Yu lowered his head. "I'm ordering you," his voice quivered as hot tears slid down his cheeks despite his efforts to hold them back. "...to stay."

Naoto walked up behind him, as did the others. Yosuke was already weakened from the battle. Any skill they'd learned before being taken from this world had barely been nurtured. They were both neophytes. If that beam's power was strong enough to incapacitate a healthy, undamaged person, then it's affect could possibly...

She bit her lip. She didn't even want to complete the thought.

Yukiko rested a hand on Yu's shoulder. She could feel him shaking, though he made no sound. She knelt down at his right with the little dog demon in her lap.

Even Kanji –who hadn't known any of these people until this crazy adventure—had to respect this moment. He glanced to the paralyzed Rise in his arms, then to Yu. He could feel her shivering slightly, as though she were crying without the ability to do so. The situation was bad enough as it was. He looked back, about to say something when a blue glow stopped him. "Hey."

Yukiko gasped lightly. "Yu..." She gently squeezed his arm.

Yu only saw the blue light through his closed lids. Curiosity made him open his eyes. He blinked the water away to clear his vision.

A blue card hovered over the fox demon the same as Rise's had done. It pulsed once, then bled its power over his body for a brief moment. Yosuke inhaled deeply as the energy worked to revive him.

Yu didn't know how to react as his heart soared. The bond hadn't disappeared. If anything, it was stronger.

_Ow_, Yosuke thought. _My everything_. He turned to look up at Yu's face. Was he crying? Yu never cried for anything. Ever. Not even when someone was cutting up an onion. The universe was off balance. Something horrible must have happened. ...and... he was 16" tall again, but he didn't care. He yipped softly and offered a weak thumbs up with a smirk.

Yu hugged him, smiling though a faint laugh. "You stupid fox. You never listen."

Exhausted, Yosuke rested his head against Yu's shoulder. He yipped softly, telling Yu he was the stupid one for ordering him to leave. There was a loophole in that command: Yu was included in the 'everyone' part.

"Guess I'll have to be more specific next time," He joked.

Yosuke thunked his head against Yu in the best 'bad joke, dumbass' move he had the energy for.

Naoto wiped a tear away, hiding her face under her cap, though she was sure Kanji had seen it. He'd been looking right at her. She glanced up when Yu spoke, though. That whole bit was in their language, and Yu had responded. Their connection had become strong enough that language was no longer a barrier. She would tell her mother everything that happened when they got back. She couldn't wait to explain how they'd rescued Rise, and how they were closer to finding the culprit.

Movement in the distance caught her eye. She turned her sharp vision to the rooftop of the theater. A dog demon of normal human height stood against the red and black sky. He was watching them. He stared for a good five seconds, flashed her a grin reserved for scientists who'd received favorable test results, and ducked out of sight.

Naoto couldn't believe it. That dog demon had one black ear and solid black eyes. It was the third demon in the box. But what was he doing here? Why was he up there, and why did he look at them like that?

"I think we should get our asses out of here," Kanji spoke up. "I'm glad the little guy's ok, but more of those things could be here any second. You're pretty wicked with that samurai thing of yours, but you look like crap."

Yu got to his feet, carrying the fox demon. Kanji was blunt, but had a point. "Agreed. Let's find a way home. How is she?"

Naoto sighed. She knew this next act meant outing herself completely. In a smooth motion, she removed her hat, exposing her ears, handed it to Kanji, and returned quickly to her natural state in a rush of energy–clothes and all. Unlike Yosuke, she'd had time to perfect the 'change' skill.

Kanji's eyes widened. "I knew it was you! Haha! I'm not crazy!"

Naoto placed one tiny hand on a confused Yukiko's leg, and rested her other hand against Chie's face.

Chie blinked through blurry vision as Naoto spoke. Why did the short boy have ears? Her lip quivered. In that moment she spilled everything she remembered to the cat demon. Naoto listened, nodded, then asked her one more question.

It threw the little canine girl off. Sadly, she shook her head from side to side.

Naoto returned to her Human self and took her hat from Kanji—who still grinned in joy that he wasn't bonkers. "She feels ill. She remembers who she is, that she lives in Inaba, and that her parents own a dojo, but she-"

"-Doesn't know what happened to her, and she doesn't know her name," Yu finished. He'd heard and understood the entire thing.

Naoto sighed her confirmation. "And I think her condition is deteriorating. She needs help."

Yukiko drew her hand down the puppy-Chie's soft ears. "Then we tell her. It was already her name, so logically, the one who says it shouldn't be affected."

"That's a beary good idea if you want to be bound to her."

Everyone turned at the new, cheerful, higher pitched male voice. Even Chie was able to lift her head to see who it belonged to.

A slim boy the same height as Rise strode up to them. His blue eyes sparkled beneath his short, side-swept blond hair, and he wore a ruffled shirt adorned with a single red rose. The wardrobe seemed on the dramatic side, but somehow it worked for him. He moved with confidence and flashed a broad smile. His blue and white round, furry ears twitched. If he had a tail, he was facing them head on so it wasn't visible. Two human-height animal demons flanked him –one raccoon and a cat, all about his height. They didn't carry weapons, but the energy they emitted was powerful enough to tell anyone they didn't need physical weaponry.

"She has a name of her own, Short Stack," Kanji barked. "Why would calling her something she's already called have any kind of risk?"

"Because, my tall, charming, handsome friend," The chipper boy held up his right index finger, "She's an animal demon now. Just like the last two."

"The last two," Naoto though back to the photos of the previous victims. "Miss Yamano and Saki Konishi. Both had animal demon attributes. They were in a state of partial transformation when they were found."

"You mean someone is doing this to people on purpose? That's messed up." Kanji snarled.

Rise arched an eyebrow at this strange scene. She wished she could move to walk on her own, but at least she had remained awake the whole time.

"We've been trying to find the guy throwing people in here for days."

Kanji's lip twitched upward slightly. He felt like he'd been thrown into Tim Burton's version of a stuffed animal claw game. Either he actually _did_ lose his sanity back there, ...or they somehow wound up on Endor.

Yosuke groaned into Yu's jacket. This day just kept getting worse all the time.

Yukiko stood. "Maybe we can talk to them; tell them we want to go home. They might know a way out. Or they can help Rise and... Ugh. I don't feel well." She was starting to feel sick from all this fog.

"That was bear-iffic!" The bear-boy exclaimed, spreading his arms out to the side and spinning on one foot. "The way you used that... thing against that powerful Shadow. What did you call it?"

Yu faltered, "A...Persona." He turned in a slow circle. A small group of animal demons had completely surrounded them while they were talking. The tallest stood just slightly shorter than himself, and the smallest pushed a foot in height. "Who are you?"

The boy kept the smile and bowed deeply. It seemed he felt confident in his present company to take his eyes off the newcomers for a moment. "The name's Teddie. Pleased to meet ya!"

* * *

**Next Scent: Cursed**

**To Be Continued...**

**((I'm working on the next part. These chapters were posted so quickly, because I'd already written them on my days off. The next postings will be slower, but they will happen. I hope you like this story so far. Please R&R, and thanks for sticking with this idea this far. :) ))**


	11. 11th Scent: Cursed

**((I'm still writing this story, so I'm trying to stay a few parts ahead of what I post here. Postings will be more on the slow side do to this fact, but I have no intention of stopping this story. This is a long one to settle up your curiosity for a while. I'm pretty sure I'll have to revise it at some point, but here you go.))**

* * *

KIZUNA - PART 2.

_About an hour from where we left off..._

Chie drifted in and out of wakefulness. She could hear her friends talking to someone with a higher pitched male voice, and at one point, her vision cleared enough to see someone with raccoon ears and a tail looking down at her. He had the most beautiful blue eyes. She remembered them clearly because he'd instructed her to not take her eyes off of him. He then said one word: _Dia_. She didn't care what it meant, as long as he kept looking at her with that crystal-blue gaze. Either it was his amazing charisma, or the word, but she felt better, albeit still tired. She wondered what his name could be. With eyes like those, it had to be related to water somehow. She listened when he turned and looked up to talk to someone out of her line of sight.

"She's stable, but I can't reverse the effects. We don't know what did this, and I don't want to risk attempting to use a Revival Bead without more knowledge of the weapon that hit her."

Chie tilted her head to side as whoever carried her stood. She must have taken a pretty hard blow from that dark diva if it meant someone had to haul her out of here. That upset her. She was supposed to be the strong one carrying their fallen comrade, not _be_ the fallen comrade.

Her toes wiggled. She'd somehow lost her shoes and socks. How that could have possibly happened was beyond her. Was she really hit that hard? She refused to let this attack get the best of her. Every good fighter knew when it was time to rest so they could regain their strength to keep fighting, and this was one of those times. It wasn't a matter of pride, more than a matter of smarts.

"Take these," she heard the bear boy say again.

"Whoa, I can see. Man, this town is trashed," Kanji said next. "Where'd you pull these out of?"

"I made them!" the boy said pridefully. "They're beary good with seeing through this fog." His tone changed to one more worried. "You guys don't look so good. Staying here isn't healthy for you."

"We need to get out of here now," Naoto's clear, precise voice cut in. "How do we get home?"

"Right this way."

Chie blinked to watch the red and black sky shift overhead. She wanted to be as far away from this place as possible.

"Whoa, whoa, we can't leave until we find the one who did this to her!" Yosuke demanded, though he was somewhere out of sight to the side.

"If we stay, we won't be of any use. We need to recuperate. Then we'll come back." She'd recognize Yu's voice anywhere.

She rubbed at her eyes to clear them as they walked. Kanji was right about the state of this town. She hadn't been able to see much of it before, though for some reason, she could see pretty well now. It was still foggy, but not nearly as much as it had been. Maybe it was lifting.

A stack of 3 old fashioned TVs appeared in front of them. The whole group stopped.

"Hurry. There are more Shadows approaching." The bear boy shoved them forward, with help from two others –including the blue-eyed raccoon demon. "Go, before they find you and go bear-zerk."

"You're crazy! We can't all fit through there!" Kanji shot back.

"Time to go, time to go, time to go!" Teddie didn't listen. He continued shoving them toward the TVs.

Chie shut her eyes just as they were pushed into the sets. The whole image flickered, and again, she felt like she was falling. Her stomach churned and she felt nauseous the longer they were in the strange portal. She whimpered and tried to sleep it off. Hopefully this time it was taking her home.

* * *

_Sometime that same day..._

Someone's voice melted through the blanket of slumber, urging her to wake up. It wasn't forceful, but it did remind her of someone trying to tell her she was late for school. She stretched out under a blanket someone had thrown over her, yawned, and fluttered her eyes open.

The first person she saw was Yosuke. His ears twitched. They must be in a safe place if he was openly showing off his true nature. However, there had to be a better sight to wake up to than his goofy face –like that amazing blue-eyed guy from earlier. She groaned. "Are you watching me sleep, you pervert?"

"You're welcome. At least you're still your charming self." He looked up past her and gave a thumbs up to someone.

Naoto sat down next to her. Her tail rested off to the side. "How are you feeling? Do you have any pain? Any discomfort?"

"Just a headache, but I'm fine."

"Good," Yosuke held out both hands. "Ok, as long as you don't freak out."

Naoto reached across Chie and smacked him upside the head. "You idiot. You don't tell someone not to freak out when you're about to tell them something that will likely make them freak out."

"What are you two talking abo-" She felt something on her head twitch.

That wasn't normal.

Chie tentatively placed a hand on her head where two soft bumps protruded. She drew both hands down what felt like ears and pulled. Her eyes widened at the tug against her head. She sat up and planted her hands over where her normal ears should be. It was just hair laid flat over nothing. The blanket crumpled in her lap. "What...what's...?"

"Please try to stay calm," Naoto began, seeing the others chest start to rise and fall quickly. "You'll hyperventilate."

Someone had also put her in an oversized, long-sleeved green shirt, and a pair of yellow shorts. Which meant someone had changed her. Which also meant she'd been naked at one point. Whoever it was had better have been a girl.

Chie glanced to her right where a honey-colored, furry tail lay on the floor. It moved in time to her curious thought. She pulled on it. Her confusion jolted to 'panic' when she realized it was connected to her. She looked frantically from Yosuke's ears and tail to Naoto's repeatedly.

The large blanket was her green jacket. It could easily cover a king sized bed.

"Ah!" She screamed and scrambled backward. Her heart pounded. "What's going on?!"

"I promise you're fine," Naoto said. "But you have to calm down and listen."

Chie got to her feet, afraid. The stairs behind the two animal demons were far too wide for normal measurements. Chairs, a side table, and a couch towered around her. She was in the middle of the largest scale living room she'd ever seen. She bumped into something that knocked her off her feet. What she landed on was made of black cotton, and it was warm. It had seen a lot of wear and tear, and it smelled. It had a white stitched stripe across the top. She leaned against the fabric back as Naoto and Yosuke approached her as non-threateningly as they could.

Yukiko walked out of the kitchen, her attention caught by the new commotion. "I got some leftover beef from a dish in the fridge. Steak is her comfort food."

She turned toward her best friend's familiar voice as she rounded the corner. Thank God! Someone who could give her some answers, or shake her out of this nightmare. Her jaw dropped when the other knelt down. She was as tall as a house. "What happened to you?!"

Yukiko blinked curiously and frowned. "What is she saying?"

Chie pressed herself against the back of the warm stinky cloth chair in horror and gripped the fabric. What had Yukiko just said?

"She's scared. Though I can't blame her." Yu crouched down to be more on the level of the little dog demon who'd climbed onto his foot.

It wasn't the back of a soft seat at all. It was a pair of dark slacks and socks currently covering a foot bigger than her head. Chie looked back, then slowly up at the new voice, stumbled backward, and screamed. Yu was even taller than Yukiko. Someone had turned her friends into giants, and given her a tail and ears. Her eyes couldn't get any bigger if they tried.

Yosuke and Naoto were the only ones of normal height. "You're... you're all... Naoto, you have... Why is everything so huge? What happened to everyone? Why is my jacket the size of a parachute, and why can't I understand anyone?... ... And..." She clutched at her own ears. "WHAT HAPPENED TO ME?!"

"Take it easy, and let me explain." Yosuke tried.

"I will not take it easy, you dork! I'm a foot tall!"

"Fourteen inches, actually." Naoto said before thinking. Which was rare for her. It must be the dramatic tone of the situation that affected her rational thought.

The fox demon slid her a narrow glance. "Not helping."

"F-fourteen inches?" That barely put her above a standard ruler. Chie clenched her tiny fists, and wrapped her arms around herself. "This is a nightmare. I-it has to be a nightmare," her voice trembled. She must still be in that shadow world, or in a coma, because there was no way this could be real. "This can't be real. I gotta wake up!" She took off running out of the living room to the nearest opening: the kitchen.

"Well, that could have gone better," Yosuke remarked.

Naoto elbowed him in the ribs.

He yipped in pain.

She slipped on the tile floor to her hands and knees, and ran for the sliding back door on all fours without thinking. That freaked her out even more. She was an animal.

Kanji opened the door, wiping his hands off on a towel after eating a piece of watermelon.

The four of them took off after her. "Catch her before she gets outside." Yu moved to the door to block her escape, but she was too fast and zipped out into the daylight.

Kanji tried to close it, but just missed her tail.

Chie bounded down the steps of the back porch onto the moist grass, and stopped. She stared up at the sky-scraping cherry tree in the yard, and the stone wall separating the Hanamuras' property from the neighbors. There was no way she'd be able to climb either one. Normally she was the stronger one, able to face the creeps at school that bothered her best friend, or take on a bully trying to steal some underclassman's lunch money. Those were situations she felt confident in. The adrenaline of the danger fueled her.

This...she didn't know how to react to this. There was nothing to fight. She was trapped with no foreseeable way out, and she wasn't waking up. Frightened and shaking, she screamed and dropped to her knees. Her tail wrapped around her as she curled into a ball. She had to get through this shock –fight it back until she could think again. She just needed something familiar. She didn't even know her own name. Even her memories were starting to fade. _I am 16. My favorite color is green. My dog's name is Muku. I love Keropi,_ She fought as the memories continued to grow dim, as though something was pushing them back. _I love kung fu, my parents own a dojo. My parents names are... they're... ah! My name is... my name... is... Ah! I am 16. My favorite color is green..._

Yukiko and the others circled her. She knelt down and set the plate of food aside. Seeing her best friend like this made her sick. "Yu, how do we calm her down?"

"I don't know. She thinks she's in a nightmare."

Naoto sat next to Kanji's foot and mewed softly. This sort of situation had never come up before with her and her mother. She could always keep herself in check.

Yukiko's heart broke. There had to be something they could do. She watched her friend cry, knew she had to be overwhelmed and terrified, and the only person who may know what do didn't have a clue. She thought back to the weeks spent in this house 'training' the fox-boy to become human. The one he'd always responded to most was Yu.

She leaned forward and rested her hand on the young dog demon's back. The other tightened up further into her little ball. "Chie, calm down, please. We're you're friends."

"Yukiko, don't." Yu urged.

"I don't care." She turned to her friends. One tear had already slid down her face. "She's my best friend. She's been there for me when no one else in the world bothered. She's the only one who understands me, and she's never ditched me. She'd take my calls in the middle of the night when I needed someone to talk to, and she always protected me. She always looked out for me. I can't bear to see her like this. She already has a name, and I don't care what happens. She needs to know it. If saying it will bring her peace, then so be it." Her hand trembled against the small dog demon's back, more from the serious emotion of trying to help one of the most important people in her life. She grit her teeth. "It's Chie. Chie Satonaka. That is her name."

A hush fell over the backyard.

Yu sat down next to her and rested a hand on her shoulder. He knew what she had just done, though he was sure she didn't understand it. "Try to calm down, Yukiko. If I'm right, it'll help both of you."

She nodded. She needed to get a hold of herself, if only to not make the situation worse.

Chie stopped shaking as something inside her changed. It washed the fear away. She slowly uncurled to look up at Yukiko and blinked. She hadn't even been paying attention to what everyone was saying—she'd been covering her ears, but for some reason, she'd heard her name, and she knew it was hers. She sniffled and shifted to sit cross-legged on the grass. The panic was gradually disappearing, though it was replaced with shame. She'd acted like a complete crazy idiot in front of everyone. Regardless of her predicament, she should have better control over herself than that.

"I don't get it," Kanji broke the too-intense silence. "Why would calling her by her own name be a big deal?"

Naoto used her 'change' skill to return to human form in a couple of seconds. "Because," she watched the slim, black-haired girl lift the dog demon onto her lap, "Chie's been somehow transformed into an animal demon. The one who gives them a name becomes bonded to that demon forever. For each of them, the other is 'home.'

A spiky ball dropped into the pit of Kanji's stomach. He thought of the day Mrs. Shirogane had told him his payment for being saved from a night in the local jail was to name the little cat-creature who'd caught the real criminal. He slid a glance down at Naoto, who continued to watch the scene in the backyard, and looked away. "So, what happens if they don't ever see that person?"

"They'd both feel incomplete, spending their lives searching for the reason why, and living a miserable existence without ever being able to fill that void. Their sleep cycles, social interactions, and eating habits would be affected. It would be a waking hell." She glanced up to him. "Or so I'd imagine."

Kanji kept his mouth shut after that. Mrs. Shirogane had suggested the name. He'd accepted the suggestion and given it to the cat-demon seconds before he'd left the police station. He had named Naoto Shirogane.

"You're sweating. Are you all right?" Naoto asked bluntly.

He wiped at his face. "Eh. Yeah... Just the sun." He turned to walk back inside. "I'm going to check on that girl to see if she's awake yet. This is getting too pansy-ass for me out here."

Naoto smirked. Typical Kanji. She tipped her hat down and walked back into the house. Other people were spending their time worrying over Chie's situation, so there was no need for her to join that party. She wasn't insensitive. On the contrary, she was very concerned. Anything that could change a Human into one of her kind was dangerous. Animal demons weren't 'born' in the traditional Human sense. If she and the two she came here with had been allowed to stay in that world –if it hadn't been corrupted—she had a feeling they would have been told everything. They needed to get back to that world soon to find the culprit, return Chie to normal, and answer some of her own questions as well.

Everyone in this house was a friend of hers. She owed it to them to stay level headed to solve this puzzle.

Yukiko picked up Chie—who cringed at the distance to the ground far below—and carried her with the food back inside the house. She set both on top of the table. "See seems ok now."

Chie was so ashamed, she couldn't look anyone in the eye. She grabbed a slice of beef from the plate in both hands, sat down, and ate, staring at her bare feet the whole time. Only when Yosuke hopped up onto the table to snag a piece of meat did she launch from her spot to smack his hand away.

This was his food first! She should at least share. He glared at her.

"Yosuke, let her have it." Yu pulled up a chair and set a cookie on the table. He'd grabbed it when they walked back in to munch on it, but this seemed like a better use for the home made chocolate chip delight. He knew the demon understood how important it was to handle their new problem with kid gloves, but when it came down to it –for all they knew—he was still only a month old. Actually, no one knew how old Naoto and Yosuke actually were, since the two couldn't remember much of their past. It was as if the memory had been buried.

The small fox demon grumped, but nodded and sat down with the giant cookie in his lap to nibble. He watched Chie-dog-demon tear into her slice of beef, and swallowed his bite of cookie. "You know, it's not that bad. You kind of over reacted."

She glared at him over the meat.

"I mean," he tried to cover. He shut up. He was just making it worse.

"What are we going to do?" Yukiko leaned against the counter. "We have to go back to the TV world and find the guy who did this."

"Yeah, but we have nothing to go on." Kanji walked down the stairs into the kitchen.

Naoto's tail flicked lightly when he came back. "Actually, we have one lead." She noted the entirety of the kitchen's occupants stared at her, though Yosuke continued to eat even as he turned his attention to her. "The first time we all watched the Midnight Channel, I was here. I'd only managed to see it because of the rain that night."

An amused 'huh' left Kanji. "You're a cat demon who's afraid of water? Way to fall into a stereotype."

"As I was saying," she shot a pointed stare at the taller boy, though didn't feel like she wanted to cause him harm, "I'd originally come over to ask him what he remembered about the Red World and the box that brought us here; Specifically the fact that there was a third animal demon with us."

Yu's eyes widened slightly. "A third?"

"A dog demon with one black ear and solid black eyes. I saw him on top of the theater watching us. I'd know his face if I saw him again."

He looked to Yosuke, who just shrugged and yipped back a response. He listened. "Ah. I see." He got up to get a glass of water.

"What did the little furball say, and why isn't he normal height, or speaking a language we understand?" Kanji downed a couple of cookies from the plate Yu took his from.

"He said," Yu set the glass down so both animal demons could drink from it. "He doesn't remember anyone else, and if he had, he would have said something. He's also translating for Chie. She can't understand what we're saying. As for height," He glanced to the small fox demon, who pushed the glass across the table to Chie, then stepped aside. She tipped the glass and gulped down the water. "He tried, but that beam ...froze... his skill. The raccoon said it would return soon, though."

"Dude," Kanji glanced to Naoto, the two animal demons on the table, and Yu, "You're like the 'Demon Whisperer,' or something."

Yukiko frowned and stood straight. "She...can't understand us anymore? She forgot her own language?" She leaned on the table with her chin resting on her hands.

Chie didn't need to comprehend any words to know her friend was worried. She rested her hand on Yukiko's arm and offered a small smile, trying to tell her everything would be ok. Don't stress.

"I don't think she forgot. It must still be there," Naoto said, snagging a cookie out of Kanji's hand. He growled, but let her be. "If she's a pure animal demon now, she'll only understand our language until she learns yours. But, because of the fact that you chose to name her, that connection may quicken her ability to learn."

"Yosuke picked it up within weeks," Yu said.

Chie looked her friend in the eye, focused on the few words she was able to pick out, and concentrated on forming letters and sounds she knew were once familiar, but seemed to be hiding. "Yu..ki...ko."

Even as the victim, Chie was still trying to be the strong one. Yukiko smiled and draped her hand down the little demon's soft ears.

Chie was frightened, but if she trusted anyone, it was Yukiko Amagi.

"I saw someone the day before school," Yosuke said, facing everyone with the half-finished cookie in his hand. They were accustomed to hearing him speak to them in yips, barks, and sounds while in this form. None had ever heard him speak anything but a few words a time outside of his human height. "At Junes. A weird kid with a yellow shirt and freaky black eyes was one of the last in the electronics department. He said I was like him, and that he could 'see,' -whatever that means."

"And you didn't bother telling us before?!" Kanji clenched a fist. The little demon's adorable appearance was the only thing saving him from being lifted up by one hand.

"I didn't think it was important at the time." Yosuke stared him up.

"You little-" He stopped at someone's touch against his arm. He glanced down in time to see Naoto slip her hand away. Oddly, he felt a little more calm, though still angry at the stupid little demon. He blinked curiously down at her, though she never turned her eyes to him. Did she know and just wasn't telling him?

Yu unclenched his left fist around the fabric of his pants when Kanji backed down. His face betrayed no emotional change, though he would have been over that table in a heartbeat. The tall first year student was still new to the group, and had already displayed violent tendencies. At this point, there was no telling how far he would go in reacting to his anger. Their friendship was still very new. He looked calmly to the fox-boy. "Do you know who he was?"

Yosuke shook his head from side to side.

"If he is the third," Naoto began, "then we can find him."

They all heard a gasp at the base of the stairs. Yosuke stopped in mid chew halfway through the cookie. His tail flicked when Rise stepped into the kitchen.

Rise rubbed at her eyes. She thought she was seeing things again. Two children—or animals, or...whatever they were—stood on the table around a plate and a glass of water. The little puppy in the oversized green shirt cocked her head to the side curiously at her.

"You're up," Yu said casually.

"How are you feeling, Rise?" Yukiko asked.

Rise nodded. "I'm fine..." She couldn't take her eyes off the two animal demons, and the human sized Naoto still allowing her tail to be visible. For a moment, she had to stare out the kitchen window to assure herself she wasn't still in the TV world. "I'd thought that whole ordeal was a nightmare, but they're here. Then that means the card I saw was real, too."

They'd all witnessed a blue tarot card appear over Rise after she accepted her shadow, and watched it dissolve over her.

Something within her was altered at that moment, though she didn't know how to voice it. Only that she felt stronger, and more capable. These were the people who'd helped her, and she somehow knew she could trust them.

"I saw the same thing," Yu said. "I think it has something to do with a Persona."

"A Persona?" She mused.

"That thing you used to beat down her evil twin?" Kanji had to admire that kind of power. Yu commanded it with nothing but his presence. He reached for another cookie, though the plate had disappeared.

Naoto leaned against the counter with her feet crossed at the ankles, holding the plate and munching on the baked goodness.

Yosuke whined. Why did he have to miss the cool epic fight?

Her smile widened when Yosuke couldn't take the silent staring any longer and continued eating the cookie. "Ah! They're so cute!" She leaned on the table and grinned. "They're like little kids, but...like adorable animals. What are they?"

Yosuke smiled back. Yup, Rise was still hot.

Chie rolled her eyes and dumped the remaining water over his head.

He stiffed at the drastic, sudden cold shower and shifted an equally icy stare at the dog demon. Water dripped from the tips of his drooping ears and soggy tail. Fortunately, he'd saved the cookie by holding it out at arms length.

She laughed.

Naoto smiled despite herself at the wordless 'down, boy,' act from little Chie. "Animal Demons. Chie was turned into one. We're going to find out who did it and change her back."

Rise's grin remained. The little demons looked like normal humans, but with ears and tails. "Are all animal demons the same size? You know... little?"

"I wouldn't-," she shrugged.

Her eyes glimmered with delight. "Because I would love to find one that fits in my purse."

Both Naoto and Yosuke shouted back, "We are not accessories!"

Yosuke shook himself dry, though Yukiko got to his tail with a napkin soon after. His fur fluffed out. That did not help their case in this instance.

Naoto sighed. "I'll get my mom to clear checking the security footage at Junes in that area on that day and see if we come up with anything." She started for the door.

Kanji paused, clenched his fists, but went after her. "Naoto." He stopped when she turned her eyes up to him. "I...should go with you if you find anything. He might be dangerous. I'm good at handling punks like him." In truth, he didn't want to see her get hurt should she go looking for this dog demon on her own. The idea that anyone would even consider harming her upset him.

She smiled. "Thank you." She'd never voice it, but a tug she couldn't identify urged her to accept, and she knew she'd feel better if he was with her, even though she'd intended to take Yu and Yosuke along as extra eyes.

Naoto left the house with her task in hand and headed home to the police station to begin work. She didn't want to leave, but she had to. She had a job to do.

"What are we going to do until we can go back to that world? We have school on Monday, and Chie's parents don't know what happened." Yukiko looked to the others for an answer.

"Can't she change like Naoto?" Kanji asked, walking back into the kitchen. He was curious to feel a little sad when the cat demon left.

Yu looked down to her. "I don't know. Since she is a demon, she should be able to."

Yosuke turned to her and tapped her on the shoulder.

Yukiko watched as he explained something to Chie quickly, using hand gestures while her friend nodded through ever other sentence.

Chie set her resolve, scooted her foot back on the table, and closed her eyes, focusing on becoming taller. Being this small unnerved her. She just wanted to be her normal height again. A spark of power flared in her chest, and it became her world. She scrunched her eyes tightly. _I want to be normal_, she thought. _Think tall. Think tall_. The power swirled around her like an icy breeze. It pulled from every part of her—her core, her legs, her arms, her head and neck, her ears and tail. She trembled at the effort to hold on.

It became too much, and she fell over backwards against something soft, but kept her eyes shut. _Please let it work. Please let it work_. When she opened them, she saw that Yukiko's giant hand had cushioned her fall. She growled in frustration –actually growled. Now, she was tired, too. She cursed her ill strength.

Yosuke shook his head. "I don't blame you. The change skill really sucked the first time I had to do it." He'd transformed once and never did it again until he was forced to. "It steals your energy, makes everything you see all weird, it's uncomfortable, and it makes you feel like you haven't eaten in days. I don't know how Naoto can be so free with it." He'd cleaned out the refrigerator once he'd awakened. However, getting from his room upstairs to the kitchen was interesting. He'd kept bumping into things, knocking stuff over, and tripping. Everything was too low to the ground, and too close together. It took him a couple of days to get used to the world from a line of sight near level with Yu's.

"What are you going to do about school?" Rise asked.

The four of them thought on it. Yukiko snapped her fingers. "I'll call her mom and say she's staying with me Saturday and Sunday night saying we need to study hard for a new upcoming test. She always stays over, so it won't be a big deal. I'll take her to school just like when Yu brought Yosuke.

Chie arched a floppy ear. In her bag? No way! Why couldn't she just stay at the inn and work on changing back to her normal height?

"Because," Yu picked her up. "Why should we suffer alone?"

Chie's energy drained even further. They would be so cruel as to subject her to King Moron's idiocy. She glanced down past her feet to the floor meters below her –he was standing, and towered much higher than Yukiko—then to his face, and spoke her mind.

Yu blinked at the rant that circled him. He was trapped in a vortex of seamlessly connected sentences. He finally shook his head from side to side and set her back down on the table top.

"What did she say?" Yukiko asked.

"She wanted to know if I was the one who changed her clothes. I said no. The rest, I won't repeat out loud."

"Whine all you want, Chie, you can't skip school," Yosuke smirked, folding his arms.

"Exactly. That's why you're coming, too."

The fox demon's jaw dropped. He argued back that it was cruelty to animal demons, and that this was his house.

"Not being able to change doesn't give you a free pass. And your parents are coming home Monday night."

He paused, slumped his shoulders, and hung his head. Damn. Yu was right. He'd forgotten about that. Both he and Chie needed to work on changing back or both of them would be in serious trouble. If they were here, his mom would be understanding, however angry. He'd been forbidden to change, and he wanted to avoid the wrath of Mom.

Rise checked her watch. "Oh, I have to go. My grandmother's expecting me home. I have to explain why I wasn't home yesterday." She groaned. "I'm not looking forward to that. I'll see you guys tomorrow. Let's meet at the park, ok?"

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Kanji sent Naoto a text to update her on the location. "I gotta split, guys. See you tomorrow." And he followed Rise out. However, sleep was the last thing he intended to do once night fell. The animal demons had given him an idea, and the creative artist within him needed to act on it as soon as possible.

Yukiko turned to face Yu right behind her. There were a number of questions she had for him that remained silent throughout the conversation. However, now, she felt like she could at least ask one. "What's really involved in a bond with an animal demon? I've watched you two over the past month, but it's hard to tell just what to expect. If anything happens at all. I mean, she was human to start with."

Yu shrugged. At times, it seemed like he was a pet owner. Others, like he and Yosuke couldn't be better friends. And yet when he thought he'd lost the little fox demon after the battle, the other became recognizable as a part of himself. He cared about him, no matter how annoying he could be. That fox demon simply needed to be there for things to feel ok. "I think the best way to describe it would be..." he paused, "Kizuna. I don't know how to explain it. If it works, you'll find out for yourself."

Yukiko exhaled heavily and stood. She kept the little dog demon in her arms and moved to the door. "Are you heading home, too?"

"Yeah," He handed her Chie's jacket, then glanced back at the kitchen as Yosuke jumped off the table. He opened the door to follow her, though didn't get beyond the threshold. "Actually, I'll see you tomorrow, ok?"

She understood. Yukiko left the Hanamura residence and walked down the street with the dog demon in her arms.

Chie glanced back, waved to Yu, and barked lightly.

Yosuke had moved to the living room to watch them talk, and sighed when Yu slipped on his shoes. He walked over the TV and carried over his PS2 controller after pushing the button to power up the console. He sat with the controller in front of him on the floor and scrolled through to a new game, selected it, and waited for his saved information to load. If he was going to be alone in the house tonight, he would play this game until his eyes bled and he couldn't keep them open anymore.

He looked up when Yu sat down next to him, shoes off, and picked up the second controller.

Yu selected his character mode on the screen of a lone-wolf style high school kid. "So, are we still having Game Night, or what?"

The fox's tail wagged as he pressed his palm down on the X button to select his: A 2 player mode. "An ax? You're really outfitting your character with that?

"I'm getting the swords this time."

"I'll bury your kill count with my vibro blades."

"Just keep telling yourself that."

"Why do you always get to be the hero...protag...guy?"

"Because."

"Not fair.

"You are the comic relief. It's what you do best."

"Oh yeah? Then... This monster better prepare to eat my energy wave!"

"Good luck with those buttons. Your hands are too small to combo attack."

"Just keep telling yourself that." Yosuke grinned.

The two played the battle rpg game, "Sees," as the sun set, and the stars blanketed the clear night sky.

* * *

**Next Scent: The Amagi Inn  
**

**((And yes, if you're wondering, they're playing an AU version of Persona 3. ^^ Why? Because.))**


	12. 12th Scent: The Amagi Inn

**((Life is trying to butt in to writing time. I keep shoving it back into the closet, but just like a biscuit tin, it explodes everywhere -all over my room, my stuff, my clean laundry... I'll try to post more often. I need to write the next part, though. It's also undergoing corrections. Here you go. Another snippit for fun.))**

* * *

_That evening at the Amagi Inn..._

Tourist Season officially kicked off in a couple of weeks, so for the time being, the old inn contained a smattering of guests. Yukiko quietly opened the front door and peeked inside. Someone on the phone occupied her mother's attention, so she took that opportunity to sneak as quietly as possible past the front desk. She'd managed to edge her way to the hallway. A few more steps, and she would be home free.

"Yukiko?" Her mother hung up the phone.

Yukiko froze, cringed, and turned. "Yes, mother?" She bowed lightly.

"Where have you been?" Mrs. Amagi folded her arms into her kimono.

The tall girl attempted to hide her school bag behind her back. "Just out with some friends. I'm back before my curfew."

Chie sniffed the air. She'd recognize the smell of the fresh flowers of the Amagi Inn anywhere. Curious, she tried to peek her head up to see what was going on. She spotted Mrs. Amagi and stuck her hand out to wave, but Yukiko pressed down the top of the bag to shove her back down. Chie yelped.

"What was that?"

"Nothing, mom. Just...cramps." She hugged the bag and ran down the hall to her room.

"Don't forget we have that wedding party arriving tomorrow night from the city," she called after her daughter. "Be on your best behavior!"

Yukiko rushed into her room and shut the door. She panted. "That was close." She moved over to set the bag on the bed and opened the top. "I'm sorry I did that, but-"

She was cut off by a string of strange words and yips and barks from the little dog demon as Chie flailed her arms in disgust from on top of the bag. Yukiko sighed, defeated. Somehow, Yu had reached a level of his bond with Yosuke that let him understand the fox demon's speech. If she and her friend were now linked in the same way, she hoped they'd get to that, too. And soon. It was frustrating not being able to understand her childhood best friend. "I'm sorry about that, but you know my mom. I'm not allowed to have any pets."

Chie narrowed her eyes and folded her arms. She picked out two words from that entire sentence. 'mom' and 'pets.' It wasn't even the end of her first day as an animal demon, and she was already picking up her old language again. She was both happy and nervous at the same time. What else about her was going to change?

"I know you're not a pet, but you do have ears and a tail now. If someone sees you, that's the first thing they're going to think." Yukiko gently scratched one of Chie's soft, floppy, blonde-furred ears.

The other sighed in resignation. As much as she hated to admit it, Yukiko probably had a point. She knew the Amagis well enough to know that their daughter was banned from owning any kind of pet with fur. The rule was in place more to protect any guests with allergies rather than a strict motion against their child for the sake of control. Chie knew in her mind that she wasn't an animal, but that wouldn't matter to anyone who decided to be phone-trigger happy and call animal control.

Yukiko put her things away. "I'll be right back," she held up one finger in a 'one moment' motion, and left the room. She hurried to the kitchen, slipped through the door, and grabbed a curry pan from a steaming fresh plate.

The chef –an older woman with her hair tied up in a bun—greeted her.

"Evening, Hoshi," Yukiko grabbed a second one deftly as she ate the pan, and grabbed another behind her back. She turned, hiding the food, and ran out.

Hoshi blinked curiously at the girl's unusual behavior.

Yukiko quickly made it back to her room with the pilfered treat. She set the food down in front of Chie once she could breath easy in private. She then set a notebook and a pencil on the floor and wrote a simple sentence. "We need to get you understanding your own language again soon, so lets go over some basics," she said as Chie jumped to the floor, landed in a roll, and flopped near the opened notebook.

Chie looked to the book as she ate, then up to her best friend, and stood. She pushed the sleeves up to her elbows on the long green shirt. The faster she learned this, the more quickly she could return to normal.

"Oh, I hope you don't mind. Your clothes didn't change with you, so I borrowed some of Yosuke's. It's all we had."

That's why this outfit looked familiar. The V neck should have been a dead give-away. It used to adorn a stuffed bunny that Nanako gave the little fox demon a few weeks ago. His first wardrobe came from medium sized plushy toys. She sniffed her shirt. It had been washed, but it still smelled like that fox demon. She rolled her eyes, but dealt with it. What else could she do?

Yukiko tied her hair back into a pony tail – something she rarely ever did—and made it her mission for the next hour to be a teacher. Most of the time, she received blank expressions from Chie, usually followed by sounds of frustration. The little dog demon tried to recreate the sounds, and to understand their meaning. After the hour, she'd noticed her friend had stopped paying attention, and had her eyes glued to the window outside where it was raining. It wasn't a thunderstorm. Just a light drizzle. "Yeah, I think you're right. That's good for tonight. Please nod if you knew what I just said."

Chie looked back at the sound of her name and went through what she'd heard. She caught the jist of the statement. As long as they were done for the night, she didn't care. She pointed to the clock, then to the small t.v. In the room. It hadn't reached midnight yet, but since it was raining, she wanted to see if the person who did this to her –or anyone else—showed up on the screen. Chie yipped her quick explanation. Rise had found Saki's body, and was then sent to that world by someone. But since they'd rescued her, she'd escaped becoming the channel's next victim. Hopefully, they'd stopped the pattern.

_Pi pi pi. Pi pi pi_. Yukiko sank into her futon to check the new message from Yu.

[Everything ok?]

She texted back as Chie ran around the room. [Yes. It's weird, but we're fine.] They shared a few more texts while she watched Chie try to use the change skill three times. By the third attempt, the dog demon was on her back panting. She set the phone down. "Chie, if you try too hard, you won't have enough energy." She set a pillow on the floor and moved the exhausted demon onto it.

Chie sank into the puffy softness. She tried to tell her friend that she had to change soon, or she feared she'd lose her memories. Yukiko showed her concern by offering a comforting smile before she left to shower off the day. Her tail curled around her as she tried to sleep it off. Maybe she'd think more clearly with a good nights sleep.

She woke up mere moments later from hunger pangs. Trying to use the Change skill so many times in a row so soon after becoming an animal demon must have completely taxed her energy. The fact that all those stories lied about animal demons being spirits irritated her. She still needed food. Thankfully, she knew just where to find a late night snack.

Chie walked across the large room to the door and pushed it open a tiny crack to see out into the hallway. Her head stuck out just enough to look both ways for any guests, or Yukiko's parents. The hall was empty. She'd spent enough time here to know her way around the inn, and she knew exactly how to get to her goal. The distance between points A and B were a lot farther than she remembered, but she took the hall quickly, staying close to the wall just in case anyone made a surprise appearance around any corners. She sniffed the air automatically. Curious about her own action, she tried again and studied the scents on the air. Once focused on it, everything became more powerful: the wooden floor, the doors, the musky dirt from the moisture rich plants, the people in the closed rooms, and especially the kitchen. She wondered how Yosuke could handle so much information at once.

A potted cluster of bamboo made for the perfect hiding spot. She took a deep breath, and focused on her goal: the kitchen. As soon as her mind changed, so did her perception, and the rest of the smells faded to the background. She waited for a customer to shuffle by in their sandals and yukata before taking off toward the kitchen at full running speed –on two legs, of course.

Her ears perked up as soon as she slid through the door. The kitchen of the Amagi Inn stretched out with a maze of tables as high as buses, stools, a stove, pots, pans, dishes piled on the counter, cutting boards, spices, and a few plates of food still out for customers to pick from.

The tantalizing aroma if freshly made curry pan drifted their seductive fingers to her nose and made her stomach grumble. Smallness be damned! Those leftovers would be hers.

She scampered over to the table, eyed a stool, judged the distance carefully, and crouched down. She'd watched Yosuke leap up onto a chair enough times that it only seemed logical she could do the same. Taking a gamble, she put all her energy into her legs, pressed her palms against the ground, and leaped as high as she could. She caught the edge of the stool and pulled herself up. If only her parents could have seen that. She was proud of herself and thrilled. From there, it was an easy leap onto the table harboring the steamy delights. Her eyes sparkled. She could identify the spices in the curry, the seasoned beef, and the buttery give of the bread shell. Chie tucked four of the stuffed bread balls into her arms, and bit into the closest one. The taste was overwhelming. She couldn't think of a down side to this in any way.

Her ears twitched at movement behind her.

That down side presented itself in the form of the Amagi Inn's head chef stomping across the kitchen with a soup pot in hand to trap the animal on the table. "Hey! Get out of there!"

Chie quickly downed the rest of the pan she'd already taken a bite of, sank her k9s into another, and jumped back to the chair. The pot narrowly missed her tail. Risking it, she jumped to the floor and rolled, still clutching her prizes. She shifted both curry pan balls to her left arm and grabbed the top of a melon soda from a case on a bottom shelf. What was dinner without something to wash it down with?

She quickly dodged the chef's grasping hands with sharp zigzags under the tables, and out into the dining area. Fortunately, no one was there right now. The little dog demon scrambled under tables, kicked up sitting pillows, and lead the chef on a hasty chase around the room. Admittedly, she was having fun. She knew this chef –Hoshi Takeyama—and knew her cooking was beyond spectacular, so raiding the kitchen seemed a viable risk; no matter how little and strange-looking Chie had become.

Finally, an opportunity to bolt to the door shone in the dimly lit room. She dashed toward it, glancing back in victory at escaping Chef Hoshi.

The Amagi Inn's head chef wasn't going to be defeated so easily by an animal stealing food from her kitchen. She stormed down the hall after the tiny thief.

Chie dropped the melon soda. It was fun playing keep-away, but at this point she needed to sacrifice something for speed, so the tasty drink was abandoned to the middle of the hall. She ate one of the curry pan quickly, carrying the last one. Yukiko's room wasn't too far ahead. All she had to do was make it past the indoor hot springs, the stairs, and around the corner to the end of the inn, then up a flight of stairs. Yukiko's room was on the second floor, which made for a beautiful view of Inaba in any season. Normally, she thought it was pretty, but now she hated it, because that meant climbing stairs.

She cut sharply around a corner right into the legs of a customer out for a late night soak in the springs. Chie tried to get out of his way, but he was also scrambling to not step on her. She veered int the only direction she could: the entrance to the hot springs. The man had left the door partially open, so she barreled through without thinking. All she knew what that she had to get away from Hoshi. If she took her away from Yukiko, she'd go straight to animal control, and from there, who knew? The pound? A lab somewhere to study her? She didn't know how to be an animal demon, and her human memories were fading fast.

Her tiny bare feet hit the slick rock flooring around the pool and she slipped fast in a spin. The speed she'd been running at sent her rocketing across the wet floor. The curry pan flew from her hands as she struggled to grip anything solid to stop herself. The stolen food rolled harmlessly away, though Chie launched right off the edge into the hot springs.

She hit the water with a splash. Her head broke the surface in a gasping breath. She knew how to swim, but she was never that good at it even as a human. She was a dog demon now, so dog paddling should be a piece of cake. Chie kicked, pumped her arms, and swished her tail, but it kept her barely above the warm surface. Apparently, being a dog demon didn't automatically give her the power of Olympic swimming skills. Steam rose around her from the water regardless of her frantic splashing. She cried out. Someone had to hear the noise she was making even if they couldn't understand her. Right now, she was alone.

Her head dipped under. She held her breath and clawed for the surface. The golden lamp lights shimmered above her, mocking her with the breeze they swayed in. It couldn't end like this! She couldn't drown! She'd learned how to swim as a little girl, so why were her legs and arms disobeying her thoughts? _Swim_! She thought. Her lungs burned for air. Her limbs pumped harder as a freezing fear shocked through her The water had suddenly grown very cold.

She heard a muffled splash. Two large hands grasped around her to pull her from the water. She wasn't going to die by drowning, she was going to be sent to a lab to be studied somewhere.

Yukiko lay the small dog demon on the side of the pool and hauled herself out. "Chie? Chie!" She tapped on her back.

Chie coughed hard, sputtering up water and rolled onto her side. Air! Sweet, sweet air! Her ears lay flat against her head, and her sopping wet clothes clung to her little body. She panted hard both in joy at surviving, and in relief that it was Yukiko who'd found her and not the angry chef. She began shivering from the cold night air.

Yukiko removed the wet clothes quickly and wrapped the little dog demon in a warm, dry towel. "You're a terrible swimmer, you know that. Why would you come into the hot springs? You could have drowned."

The words were hard to pick out, but reading the meaning between them was easy enough. She worried too much, and Chie tried to tell her so within coughs and annoyed sounds. How did she even know she was here in the first place?

Yukiko had been on her way back from her shower, though wasn't able to shake the sense that something was wrong. It was enough to keep her from relaxing. Only when she'd come close to the doors of the indoor hot springs did that sense surge like someone dropped an ice cube down the back of her shirt. She'd simply run into the springs without thinking, saw the tiny splashes beneath the steam blanketing the water., and jumped in –clothes and all. She wasn't prepared for the frigid temperature of the water beneath that steam. Something around Chie had chilled the water in that spot alone.

Maybe that sense of dread was part of what Yu had meant when he'd said she'd find out about an animal demon bond for herself. She glanced over to the soggy curry pan on the ground and sighed in understanding. Chie had been to the kitchen for a late night snack, as was her usual behavior. That explained by she'd left the room, but not why Yukiko knew her friend had side tracked to the springs.

Chie sneezed three times.

A shadow loomed over the two.

Yukiko quickly scooped up the bundle of cloth, even though she, herself, was dripping wet in her night gown, and clutched the dog demon close for protection. "I'm sorry. Please don't take her."

Hoshi draped a clean towel over Yukiko's bare shoulders. The girl had begun to shiver. "You can't have pets, Yukiko, you know the rules."

"I know." the teenager pulled the towel around herself and the dog demon, trying to warm up. Her first concern was Chie. Her friend was still shivering.

Hoshi shook her head. "That animal stole food from our guests' plate. I'll have to scrap the whole batch now. I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to tell your mother."

"Wait!" Yukiko's bare feet slapped against the stone floor as she ran to block her path to the hall, and thus, to her mother. "She's not an animal."

"It has ears and a tail, and K9s. It may have been wearing clothing before, but it's still an animal. Move." She tried to push past the girl.

Yukiko held her ground. "It's Chie."

Hoshi folded her arms. "Naming something after your dear friend isn't going to protect it."

"But it _is_ her. Look." Yukiko unwrapped enough of the cloth to show Chie's head.

The little dog demon blinked, then tried explained herself. Her words were cut off by Hoshi, who could only hear yips and barks.

"How could this possibly be miss Satonaka?"

Yukiko took a deep breath. "You'll have to trust me. I promise you. I am not lying. You've known Chie as long as I have. Look at her closely."

Hoshi leaned forward for a better look. The dog demon's blond furry ears twitched, and she blinked big brown eyes. The older cook reached out, paused, and flattened her hand against the small demon's head.

Chie let out a small pleading sound. Her small hand reached up to touch Hoshi's.

The older woman turned her palm up so the dog demon's hand rested on the side of her right index finger. The animal girl was shivering, but the spark in her brown eyes was clearly unmistakable.

Hoshi's eyebrows arched. She gasped lightly. "Chie? ...That's impossible. How?"

The slim girl exhaled. "It's a complicated story."

"I'm eager to hear it. Go dry off, get changed, and come warm up in the kitchen."

Yukiko bowed, though nervous, and left the springs. She would have to be as convincing as possible to keep their old family friend from ratting them out. If there was a new bond forming between herself and her best friend as a dog demon, then she had an idea of what to expect if they were separated unwillingly. She remembered how Yu had acted when he'd been forced to hand his fox demon over to the care of the Hanamuras. They hadn't connected the dots about his behavior, and Yosuke's until Mrs. Hanamura disclosed everything she'd learned a few days later to the three of them.

The fox demon had only been living at the Dojima home for a week before he was adopted, and the bond between the two was already strong by that point.

Chie and Yukiko had been friends since early grade school. They already shared each others lives to a degree. She didn't know what would happen now, though she was truly scared.

She found a skirt and top from one of her childhood toys for Chie to change into, dressed in warmer night wear, and cautiously returned to the kitchen. When she entered, Hoshi had set up three cups on a back table where the staff would eat during the day.

"Now," Hoshi poured hot tea into the cups. Steam drifted upwards from each one. "Explain."

Yukiko took a deep breath. She didn't know how to tell her they'd fallen into a television set at Junes by accident, and wound up in a frightening world with monsters and shadows, so she decided to skip that part for now. "Chie saved me from becoming like this. Someone turned her into an animal demon, and my friends and I are trying to find a way to change her back. We don't know if there's a time limit, or if it's already too late."

Hoshi lifted one of Chie's ears with two fingers. "Amazing. Never in my life did I think animal demons were real." She'd heard stories since childhood –as most people did—but they were ancient myths, and ones she barely paid attention to.

Chie blew on the hot liquid, knelt down and leaned over as she tilted the cup forward to take a sip. It helped to warm her up. She couldn't understand how she'd become so cold after falling into a hot spring. The word 'hot' was in the title, after all.

"I've seen Chie in here plenty of times before for a midnight snack. She is allowed because of who she is. But this little one knew what she wanted and where to get it –exactly like your friend."

Chie pursed her lips, focusing on the words she'd tried to learn that night, and repeated a few as best she could. The feel of the sounds was odd in her mouth, but not as difficult as it had been. "Got... hun..gry. S-sorry."

Hoshi leaned back away from the table. "My word..."

"She's re-learning how to speak." Yukiko sipped at the warm tea. "Do you know anything about animal demons?"

"Only what most everyone else knows. They were extensions of the Gods who claimed them. Izanagi and Izanami commanded hundreds of them. Some say the Gods themselves created the creatures. Others think they're a human spirit given the physical form of their true nature. Izanami and Izanagi could command any animal demon until one of them claimed it."

Yukiko looked to Chie, who'd wrapped her arms and legs around the cup of tea to warm up. "Please, Hoshi. You can't tell my parents. They won't understand."

The elder woman sighed and worried the bridge of her nose. "All right. I won't say anything for now."

Yukiko threw her arms around Hoshi with a squeal of delight. "Thank you!"

"The things I do for you." She waved her toward the door. "Go on and get to bed."

Yukiko bowed deeply with 'thank you's' spilling over, and headed for the door.

Chie stood, bowed as deeply as she could, and jumped down to the floor to follow.

"And no more sneaking into my kitchen as you are, Chie. I'm not about to lose my job if you're spotted." Hoshi shook her head. This would be a night to remember.

The two made it back to Yukiko's room without incident. She closed the door just after the dog demon walked in, and sighed in relief. How many close calls were they going to go through in one night? "You shouldn't go running off like that. People won't understand." She turned to find the dog demon sprawled out on the pillow, fast asleep. Food comas always hit her the hardest after a big meal. Apparently, three curry pan and a bit of tea defined 'big' for an animal demon. Not to mention the drama of the hot springs. Yukiko smiled slightly.

Knowing that Hoshi was on their side made her feel better. Tomorrow they would meet up with their friends, and hopefully gain more answers.

Even though Chie was fast asleep on her floor pillow, Yukiko decided to stay up to stare at her blank T.V. Just in case something appeared on the Midnight Channel. She laid on her belly, kicking her feet in the air, and listened to the rain outside.

* * *

**Next Scent: How To Be An Animal Demon.  
**


	13. 13th Scent: How To Be An Animal Demon

**((This took a while to write. The wait was long, but I promise after this part, things will start to pick up within the story. We're getting closer to the mystery of the third animal demon. Enjoy, and please R&R. :). And thank you to all my readers. ))**

* * *

_The next morning at an evil hour before anyone should be awake on a Sunday_...

A thin layer of fog lingered over the town, giving the morning a cool, crisp, bleary feel like it was still asleep inside fall instead of spring.

They'd agreed to meet at the park gazebo early because of the severity of Chie's situation. However, 8am for Yosuke meant facing the world too soon for any reason on a Sunday.

He climbed onto a chair near the front door, grabbed the handle, and hauled it open. He then hopped back to the floor to push it a little more, grabbed the doll-sized backpack he'd left on the floor, and pulled the edge of the door in a run. He had to yank the door quickly in order to close it hard enough for it to lock. He exhaled. That was way too much effort just to operate one lousy door.

He stood behind a cluster of bamboo at the edge of the front yard to pull the hood of his large gray hoodie over his ears. It hid them well, though there wasn't much he could do about his tail. The sweater had formerly come from a stuffed bear, and sported a picture of a smiling frog on the front. He checked his shoes to make sure the laces were tight, but left the hem of his jeans to drape over the heels. Although he didn't mind running around barefoot –in fact, he favored it—protecting his feet from the pavement seemed like a good idea. Shoes were still an odd accessory to wear, but he'd quickly become accustomed to their feel and weight.

This was officially the first time he'd ever been out of the house on his own in his native form. He still couldn't change to his convenient 5'8" human height, so he needed to avoid being seen as much as possible. His ears twitched as he listened for anyone coming up the road. Feeling it safe for now, he took off around the edge of the culdusac down the street, sticking to the protective shrubs and gardens. He dashed behind a trash can to catch his breath, though the stench of garbage didn't help. He preferred the aroma of fresh rain. And chocolate.

Now wasn't the time to be distracted. He had a mission to complete, and he had to focus. The fastest way to get to Yu's was a straight line, but that would prove impossible with the fenced-in properties between points A: -the Hanamura residence, and B: -the Dojima home. The path heading down to his friend's street flanked the road in stone walls and sidewalks offering very few hiding spots in the forms of garbage cans, cars, and whatever odd piece of furniture someone felt like leaving on the curb for sidewalk-shoppers. He waited for a car to pass by before dodging to the other side of the first cross street. A yellow tabby cat hissed at him from its lofty perch on the wall. He narrowed his eyes and yipped impatiently at it as he ran. Chasing it would be fun, but he didn't have time to play. He needed to get to Yu's quickly before someone spotted him.

He heard the rattling of a trash can lid, then soft paws hitting the sidewalk. That idiot cat was following him. Didn't it have anything better to do than stalk a fox demon? Didn't it know what a fox demon was capable of? Come to think of it, other than using the power to control wind when his life was in danger, he really didn't know what else he was capable of. And he couldn't control that power, which just made him small and irresistibly adorable to girls. Not that he had an issue with that, or anything...

His stalker nimbly took to the top of a fence again to follow.

He growled with annoyance and shot a quick 'get lost' glare at it.

The cat halted for no more than two seconds before continuing at a quicker pace. The challenge had been met and accepted.

Yosuke sped up. What was the deal with this guy? Sure, he liked cats –after all, one of his best friends was a cat demon—but this guy was nothing like Naoto. He smelled of sneaky business, sly deceit, and gave off a very unwelcoming vibe. Whereas Naoto owned her scientific indifference.

It was a good sprint to the next street and down the hill. He stopped in front of the Dojimas' two storied home with a grin. He'd made it without being seen, and he was only a little out of breath. What a great, uneventful way to start the day.

The yellow tom cat appeared to have other plans.

He stopped suddenly when the animal dropped down in front of him with the silence of a leaf on water. Leaves needed to be blown away, and the little fox demon had to be the force to make that happen.

The two prowled around each other in a circle. The cat was the first to make a move. It lunged, though missed as the other dodged. Yosuke grinned, flicking his tail tauntingly.

It was a signal of arrogance made by any animal with a tail, and its meaning drove a nail of disdain through the cat.

Yosuke's ears flattened. If this loser wanted a fight, he would get it. He may be smaller than the feline, but he'd fought against ugly monsters with lolling tongues like a drunken cow—at least like the cartoon one inebriated from too much milk in a commercial.

The tabby's tail flicked.

He jumped. The cat scrambled. Claws cut through the air. Yosuke landed. "Garu!" He thrust out his hands...

Nothing.

He remained in that pose for a very long, confusion-filled second laced with embarrassment, and regret.

The cat growled deeply, hunching its shoulder blades in a slight rocking fashion and seemed to give a Cheshire smile. It locked its target in its sea-green eyes. The little fox-creature was about the size of a squirrel, and had proven to be much more of a challenge to catch.

Yosuke backed up, suddenly a little less sure of himself, but no less annoyed to hell with this cheeky shit.

He scrambled up onto the hood of a car and bared his teeth in a growl, fluffing out his tail. If the motion worked with other animals, it should work to make him look more intimidating. He crouched down the same as his opponent on the sidewalk, wiggled his butt in the same manner, and pounced.

Yu snatched him out of the air. "Probably not a good idea."

His irritation flamed in quick sounds and yips. He watched the cat run off, spooked by the human's arrival. He could take that bastard, he knew he could!

"Maybe, but do you want to explain scratches and bruises to the others?" He paused, "Wait- you would just so Yukiko could slap a few bandaids on you." He chuckled. "Actually, that's a good plan. Save for later."

Yosuke's eyes became as big as peaches. He hadn't even thought of that; Get into a fight, get injured, and have the Goddess Amagi herself gently tend to his wounds and kiss them better. What a brilliant and completely unintentional idea! He was even more upset now that Yu had stopped him from enacting this perfectly unplanned plan.

He ignored the fox demon's micro-tantrum. "Glad you got here in one piece, anyway. Enjoy the walk?"

Yosuke grumbled about just getting to the park already, you moron.

Yu flipped up the top of his empty school bag.

Still brooding, he accepted the offered hiding spot and slid into the bag. The world darkened as the cover flipped back into place. He flopped on his back, crossed his feet at the ankles with his tail draped over his belly, and smoothed down the heckled fur with his hands.

They'd agreed on this method of transportation the night before. Logically, the most convenient and expedient way to travel with perfect concealment was to use the school bag. Yosuke was already accustomed to it, so it wasn't a difficult decision. It had been a while, though. The little fox settled in to catch some extra zzz's and enjoyed the ride to the park gazebo. Hardly anyone was out save for the sparse morning jogger passing by with earbuds hanging from their ears like limp vines.

Yu moved onto the grass up the hill where the old, traditional Japanese gazebo rested. They'd chosen this place, because even though people could be seen within the old structure, it was difficult to make out the identities of anyone. It was far enough away from the walking path that people only saw shapes and forms. Seeing animal demons jumping around on the grass in front of it would simply look like the Yasogami High students had taken their pets out to enjoy the morning.

They were the second pair to arrive. The fog had just begun to lift, though the chill stuck around.

"Good morning." Yukiko held out a steaming cup of coffee to Yu. She smiled pertly, hoping he would ignore her attempt to hide the bags under her eyes at home with a thin layer of make-up. Chie sat next to her with an espresso to-go cup filled with tea that warmed the cool air. Both of them wore sweaters; Yukiko in her favorite red cable knit cardigan, and Chie in yellow long sleeved number with jeans.

"Morning," he dropped heavily onto the bench and dumped the sleeping fox demon from his bag. He'd been up all night, and thus was still tired. "Rough night?"

Yosuke's tail fluffed over his face, making him sneeze himself awake. How dare they interrupt his dream of boxing that devil cat into next week. It was just getting to the good part where he was spinning it by the tail.

"I was up late watching for the Midnight Channel." She took a sip of her tea.

"Anything?"

Yukiko shook her head slightly from side to side. "It's horrible, but I was actually hoping for something to show up on the screen."

The wind caught strands of her straight black hair, and Yu thought he smelled strawberries on the breeze. He'd noticed her the first day of school when King Moron's introduction flayed his self esteem to shreds in front of the whole class. She'd whispered an apology to him when he'd tried to hide by slumping down at his new desk. That slight gesture of good will remained with him. He may not be a man of many words, but he was still a man. And Yukiko Amagi quickly became one of the main reasons he could shut his alarm off every morning and face home room.

The interruption of yips and barks from Chie snared his focus away from the morning essence brightening around Yukiko. He snapped out of it. "What?"

Chie sighed, annoyed, pushed back one of her ears, and repeated herself. If there was a reason for being up so early, she didn't see it.

"Because, Naoto said to meet her here at nine,"

His response was a very irritated snap reaction from the other three. "That's an hour from now!"

Yu sipped his coffee. "I thought the time would give Chie and Yosuke a chance to work together before the others showed up."

Chie set the cup next to her and stood. There was no way she was going to spend her time learning how to be an animal demon when they may be racing the clock to change her back to normal, which meant catching the guy behind Shadow Rise's weapon as soon as possible.

The emotional outburst couldn't be understood by Yukiko via words, but she had an idea about the meaning. She rested her hand on Chie's head. "Maybe Yu has a point. You're going to be like this until we can find a way to change you back, so you might as well learn to use it your advantage. We all have to be our strongest to go after this guy, right?" She cupped her warm tea in both hands once more and sipped from it.

Why did she have to come at this with logic?

Yosuke had to stand on Yu's leg to reach the cup in the others hands. He pulled the cup down so he could have a sip of coffee. He seriously needed the pick-me-up.

The caffeine struck almost instantly. Within seconds, he was on the floor and yipping to Chie to come join him.

Chie stubbornly folded her arms, letting her tail swish lazily back and forth. When she glanced up at Yukiko, the look the other gave her slipped past her irritation right to her core. She sighed and let her arms fall to her sides, defeated. The sense from her best friend was one of encouragement.

Yosuke lead the way down the steps to the grass with Chie trudging along behind.

He stretched his arms over his head and let the conversation between his Human and Yukiko stay within the gazebo. A sincerely unhappy dog demon glared at him.

"Why are you giving _me_ the evil eye? I didn't do anything."

He was right, of course, but she needed something to vent her frustrations on. Both of her taller friends made good points, and they needed to use every tool at their disposal, even if it meant learning how to be an animal demon. "Can we just get through this? I'm only going along with this because the others think it's a good idea. We have an hour until Naoto gets here and then we can really get to work. What am I supposed to do anyway?"

He brushed off her callous tone. "Bet you I can reach that tree over there before you can."

"A race?" She arched an eyebrow as he removed his shoes to wiggle his toes in the moist grass. "What exactly is this going to accomplish?"

"Yeah, you probably should stay here. I doubt you could beat me anyway. You'd just cry into you tail because you'd lose." He said nonchalantly.

A muscle twitched in her cheek. "You think so," she uttered between gritted teeth.

"Uh huh."

Her ears flatted against her head.

"Unless you think you can prove me wrong. Ready set go!" He launched from his place toward the target-tree.

"Hey!" She took off after him, caught up, but he pulled ahead and touched the smooth bark before she did. "That was not fair. The grass was wet. I slipped."

"So, take your shoes off," he yipped.

Chie's face scrunched slightly in confusion. What did shoes have to do with this? Hers weren't that bad. They were comfortable, had decent tread, and laced up.

"Have you ever looked at yourself? I mean, your feet?" He lifted one foot and wiggled his toes. "It's a lot easier to run barefoot. There's something about being able to feel the ground that makes a difference."

She stole a quick glance at his dirty foot before he'd stepped back down. It looked normal to her. Still, curiosity overcame her judgment, and she sat to slip off her own sneakers and socks. She'd never thought to look at the bottoms of her feet before. Oddly, it was easier to walk through the Amagi Inn barefoot than in the little shoes Yukiko had found for her.

She rested her right foot over her knee and touched the pads of her feet lightly, feeling pressure, but hardly anything else. Tiny, thin raised bumps striated the skin in a V pattern. They were hardly detectable, but definitely there.

Yosuke bolted back across the grass toward the gazebo. "Try catching me this time!"

She followed on his heels. Her feet padded quickly against the soft grass, and she could feel her entire foot gripping the sod. The design of those little bumps offered some kind of biological tread. She caught up to him, grinned, and dropped automatically to plant her hands against the grass for added momentum as well. She pulled ahead of him easily on all fours and slid to a halt near their starting place at the steps of the gazebo.

Her breath came heavy as she examined her palms, and a small exclamation of surprise escaped her lips. For the first time, she noticed they supported the same minute bump design as her feet –again, hardly detectable, soft, but noticeable when she applied pressure for traction. She hadn't even thought about running on all fours. Her will to speed up had taken over like an instinct. Did she posses animal demon instincts now, too? That meant that her body wasn't the only thing to change. Her mind had been altered as well. The fear that her normal self was being replaced by something alien trembled through her. She clenched her fists.

Chie blinked up at Yosuke when he took her hands. He had so much faith in his eyes; faith in her, or in succeeding in their mission to return her to normal and catch the dog demon on the rooftop. Whatever its source, it was enough to keep her sharp responses behind her teeth.

"Let's go again." He could tell she was pulling back into her worries. "Don't think. Feel."

"So," she began. If she was going to find the one who cursed her, then she had to be strong in her abilities, even if they were animal demon in nature. "All right, then. Get ready to eat my dust, Hanamura."

"Dream on, Satonaka."

Both ran at top speed for the tree, dropping onto all fours occasionally. Chie rounded the tree, skid in a half-moon, used her hand to help complete the sharp turn, and charged back to the gazebo.

The two of them completed four races. Chie won three of them, while Yosuke panted out of breath as the victor of the fourth race. The two demons were a blur of red and blond tails and ears on the morning hilltop as they switched to a 'catch me if you can' game. They zigged and zagged around each other. He changed directions so quickly, she had to pivot her position instantly to compensate. He was faster than she'd ever given him credit for. The training mirrored a similar style she'd participated in on a kung fu retreat a year ago. It was hard to believe Yosuke had it in him to pull the 'teacher' card, and she felt a spark of respect forming for the young animal demon. That is, until she caught him grinning like a cheap carnival entertainer as they passed by one another. This wasn't training at all. The little idiot was Playing: pure and simple.

He ducked as Chie ran straight for him on all fours, aiming to barrel roll him into the ground.

The two spectators watched the whole thing during their conversation. It seemed harmless, until the dog demon let her emotions get the best of her. Yukiko shot up out of her seat. "Chie! Jump!"

She pushed off with both hands and feet, propelling herself through the air, over his head, the steps, and landed on the smooth tiles of the gazebo. Her head swam with wonder as she looked to the distance she'd just cleared. A good eight feet lived between the fox demon's spot on the grass to her place on the cool tiles. Considering her small size, that was a herculean-level feat.

"Wow," Yukiko breathed. "It-it worked." She hadn't expected the command to have any affect on her friend. She was both satisfied that her curiosity had been sated, though disgusted at herself for overriding the will of her best friend. "Well," she cleared her throat, hoping Chie wouldn't call her on it. She'd simply reacted to the scene without thinking. Chie could be ruthless when she was mad, so Yukiko had done the only thing she could to keep the dog demon from slamming Yosuke into the dirt. She cleared her throat. "That explains how you got up onto the table last night." She handed the tiny dog demon the espresso cup filled with tea.

Chie chugged the cool liquid, panting to catch her breath. She lowered the cup and pointed accusingly at the fox as he walked up the steps. "You were playing!"

Yosuke put his shoes back on and hopped up onto the gazebo seat. "Of course I was." He accepted a refill in the same cup from Yukiko and drank heartily. "What did you think we were doing? Working? Psh. That stuff's for stiffs. Gotta have fun. Loosen up. Let yourself go, Chie. You're too strict on yourself sometimes." He twirled the paper cup on one finger. "Actually, you're pretty fast, and that jump was insane."

Yu set his own empty coffee cup aside. "That reminds of something that bothered me for a while. You can jump pretty high, right? How come you couldn't jump out of that box at the shrine?"

Yosuke opened his mouth to answer, but nothing came out. He didn't know what to say. He'd tried multiple times to leave the box, as it was easily within his range, but his efforts were never enough. "I tried, but...couldn't."

Yu arched an eyebrow.

Yosuke relaxed with his back up against the outside of his Human's left thigh. "It wasn't high enough to be much of a challenge, but for some reason, after the man in the baseball hat told me to stay, I felt like I just had to do what he said. Even when it got late, and it started to rain, I was stuck." He'd obeyed. Yet despite the need to find shelter and food, every attempt ended in failure. He just simply _had_ to stay. Night fell, the storm grew more violent, and he was trapped both by the box, and the command. He'd been abandoned and lied to. In those long, lonely hours, trust for anyone had dissolved away. He'd given up hope that the man would return, and curled into his hunger and loneliness. That's when Yu had found him. That's when he'd claimed him and saved his life. And that's when Yosuke could trust one more time.

"That sounds like a reaction to a command." Yu mused.

Yukiko sipped on her tea and listened to Yu repeat his friend's explanation. She set the cup down. "What did this guy say to you?"

Yosuke rolled the small cup on its side lazily. "He said, 'Wait here until you're claimed.' I did, but he never came back. I'd given up trying just before Yu showed up."

Again, Yu translated, though Yukiko frowned in thought. "That's mean. And dangerous." She brushed her hair out of her eyes.

He thought about that night, about the street light blowing out at the exact moment of his decision, causing him to change his mind and head up the steps to the Tatsuhime Shrine. "It almost sounds like this person knew I'd take the shortcut that night."

Chie arched a questioning eyebrow at Yosuke. He sighed and translated. She sat cross legged on the bench. "But who would know you'd be out so late, and who else can control an animal demon without a name?" Chie asked. She knew her friend couldn't understand her, but Yu could.

He was about to explain to Yukiko when the slim girl suddenly waved her arm to get someone's attention in the distance.

Naoto strode up the short steps into the shelter to part easily into the conversation. She wore a navy blue peacoat adorned with gold buttons secured all the way up, and her hands were stuffed into the pockets. Her signature cap slouched comfortably over her blue hair, and -more than likely-her ears.

"Naoto. Good morning," Yu nodded.

"Good morning."

"Where's Rise?" Yukiko asked.

"I sent her a text telling her the plans changed to ten. She was exhausted from her ordeal in the TV world, and I felt she could benefit from some rest. Kanji, however-"

"Hey, you gotta run so fast? There ain't nothing wrong with hangin' back and takin' it easy." Kanji jogged up the hill to them and caught his breath.

"-didn't seem to think I was capable of walking here on my own."

The taller boy dropped heavily onto a seat in the gazebo and leaned on his knees. "You're stubborn as hell, you know that?"

Naoto's eyes flicked to Yosuke. She leaned forward and sniffed the air. Her scrutinizing gaze never left the tiny animal demon. "You smell like another cat."

If he told her he got into a scrap with a fanged beast straight from a b-rated horror flick, she might take offense at his desire to punt his nemesis hard into the Samegawa river. He just shrugged along side a grin. "Jealous?"

"Hardly."

Kanji leaned his backpack against the wooden bench. He muttered a quick good morning, though kept his eyes away from Naoto.

"Why do you look like the poster boy for a Tsundere cartoon character?" Yukiko sometimes lacked any tact whatsoever, but it was a question each of them wanted to know an answer to.

"It ain't got nothin' to do with that. It's early as shit and I'm still tired. I didn't stay up all night with anyone, got it?" He barked.

Everyone stared at him. "No one said anything," Yu stated bluntly.

"It has been a long night. Perhaps I should explain," Naoto took a seat next to him.

* * *

**Next Scent: Kanji's** **Sleepless Night**


	14. 14th Scent: Kanji's Sleepless Night

**((I finished this one yesterday, but haven't edited it yet, so I'll probably be replacing the content with fixes and additions. Kanji's firecracker nature, and Naoto's calm personality actually compliment each other quite well. Also, enjoy the plot as it moves along, and try to guess who 'he' is. I confused other people in my last fic "The wild Card" about who started that business with Narukami, and have had people guessing, but so far no one's gotten it rightt. I have a habit of throwing people off, so keep that in mind. :) **

**Enjoy. :) ))**

* * *

_The night before after leaving the Hanamura residence_...

The soprano voice of Naoto's mother chirped from her cell phone as the detective prince walked through Inaba late in the evening. She'd chosen a short cut through a small residential apartment area to get back to the Shirogane estate. "I know, mom. I'm sorry I didn't check in. I wasn't in an area with reception—" Irritated banter slapped back through the phone. Naoto sighed, a little annoyed that her mother still treated her like she'd just rolled out of the box. "Yes, mom, I promise I'll check in more regularly. I'm on my way home now. Could I ask you and dad for a favor? It's pertaining to the Yamano and Konishi cases. I think I may have a lead." The light turned green and she jogged across the street. "Can you please pull the security footage from the Junes electronics department from three days ago?" She listened as her mom questioned why. "Someone said they saw a teenager looking suspicious near closing time. I have a hunch."

A stranger slouched quickly across the street ahead of her in a jog...no...he wasn't slouching. He was clutching something close to his chest. "Thanks. I'll be home, soon." She pocketed the phone and watched the shadowed figure move down the street. Something about him seemed off –more so than the uncomfortable sense that peppered her from a local transient that favored the park. Naoto pressed her back against a fence out of sight when the figure stood straight to and looked her direction. Her ears twitched beneath her cap at the faint sound of someone sniffing the air. Only when it stopped did she peek around the corner. The figure hurried down the street, dashing through puddles and dim circles of light cast by the street lamps.

He was heading in the opposite direction of her home, but she couldn't ignore the feeling in her gut demanding she follow. She cursed under her breath. Her mother was already upset that she'd been gone for so long. Staying out even later mean suffering through a lecture on how a true detective of the Shirogane family should behave. They would blame it on her youth and lack of experience. She'd never felt the strong compulsion to obey her mother's orders, though she'd only ever wanted to please her, and thus she chose to obey, to read as much as possible, and to learn every nuance of the gum shoe life.

She glanced up the hill, then back as the stranger skulked through a fence barricading a small apartment complex from the rest of Inaba. Stealing her decision, she ran down the street after the stranger. Her mother might not approve of her actions, but Naoto could never ignore the one phrase that continually lived in the center of her heart and mind driving her every action. _Follow your instincts and find the truth_. She had no choice but to obey that urge. It had helped her catch ten criminals in varying degrees of crimes since that fateful day at the Inaba police station one month ago. Whether her mother liked it or not, this was what she was: a truth seeker. Her purpose even lived within her name.

A light flicked on in a second floor apartment, followed by the silhouette of the stranger setting the bag down out of sight. It crumpled like plastic. If this was the same kid Yosuke had encountered, then he likely just came from Junes. His shadow was slim and slightly hunched as though an invisible weight pressed his shoulders forward. She had to know what was going inside.

An old oak draped its branches invitingly over the fence. It was too high to jump to as she was, but relatively simple to get to with claws. She looked left, then right, ensured she was alone in the street, and put her focus into the power of her Change skill. Within seconds, she was climbing up the fence to the tree, where she hooked her claws into the bark and swung herself up onto the branch. Yet, she'd taken the time to neatly place her shoes and cap near the gate. Climbing with lifts on would be foolish, and made no sense, plus she didn't want to lose her favorite hat. She'd get to them when her reconnaissance was over. If anyone saw her from a distance, they'd simply see a common neighborhood cat.

Naoto's tail flicked back and forth to keep her balance as she scrambled through the tree, hauling herself over branches, and running along the course bark to get as close as she could to the window. Her eyes glued to the figure within.

She could see him more clearly now. The stranger was a teenage boy around her age. His limp hair draped over his eyes as he bent to dig something out of the bag and held it up in the light.

Naoto edged forward to get a better view. It looked like a woman's sweater that still had the price tag dangling from the cuff of its sleeve. The boy bunched the clothing up in his hands and inhaled deeply with a smile. Naoto's eye twitched. That right there could have been why he seemed so weird. If buying and sniffing women's clothing gave him thrills, then she had no place to judge. It did, however, creep her out. With that disturbing mystery solved, she scooted backward along the branch to climb down and leave him be forever. She froze when a truck pulled up to park in front of the building.

A man in a green jumpsuit and matching hat climbed out of the drivers seat and walked through the gate without bothering to close it. He carried a bag of take-out from Aiya's Chinese restaurant. She watched him curiously as he climbed the stairs to the second floor and unlocked the door to the apartment harboring the strange boy.

The boy turned to face the new comer.

Naoto's ears turned forward to hear as much as possible.

"Did you do the homework I brought for you?" A deep voice asked.

"Yes. It's on the desk." The boy's tone held little respect for the older male. She could hear the sounds of a video game starting up.

The man walked over to the couch and picked up the sweater. "Is this it?"

"Yes. That's the one. She's perfect. She's exactly what he's looking for."

_He_? Naoto thought. The little cat demon leaned forward, straining to hear the details.

"Look at me when I'm speaking to you." She could hear the man lifting the boy from his chair, and knocking it over. "You will treat me with respect!"

In a quick flurry of movement, the boy was shoved into the couch under the window.

The boy growled and stood to snatch the sweater out of the man's hands. "I'm only working with you because he wants me to."

"You don't even know what he plans to do."

"I know enough," the boy said haughty. "And I don't see the point in what he's doing, but it's not my place to ask. I trust him." The boy grinned. "He's closer to his goal now that it worked. Soon he won't need you."

Naoto heard the snap-sound of flesh striking flesh. "You mindless mutt! Don't forget I found you. I took you in."

She let out a sharp sound of surprise when two ears formed on his head. One was a dark brown like a collie, the other was completely black.

It was him. The third demon.

The boy laughed, though it held such dead chill that the fur on Naoto's tail stood on end.

"But he named me."

This was not the same dog demon who'd tried to defend her and Yosuke from that titanic shadow monster with fire. She remembered he had been affected by its plague. Perhaps this was the result of the silver-haired man's failed attempt to remove it completely. She'd been uneasy around him in the box when they all woke up, and neither she nor the fox demon wanted to be near him

The boy tossed the sweater back at him. "This one is perfect," his voice nearly purred the statement. "She won't escape like Rise did."

"And if someone interferes again?"

"He's told me he's making sure that won't happen."

The man grumbled and dropped the take-out roughly on the table. Rice and meat from a bowl of nikudon spilled onto the floor. "Enjoy your dinner. I'll meet you tomorrow. Same place. Just do your job, Mitsuo."

Mitsuo eyed the clumps of food dripping to the floor. "I always find who I'm looking for, Namatame. I'm excited about this one. I really like her." He smiled in a dreamy fashion. "She smells like strawberries."

Taro Namatame slammed the front door.

The sudden noise jarred Naoto from her spot and she slid back. She caught the branch below her with her claws and held her breath as Namatame walked underneath her dangling feet, settled back into his delivery truck, and drove away.

Naoto pulled herself up one paw at a time. She grabbed onto a skinny branch for leverage, but it snapped, cutting her hand and stabbing a splinter through her paw. Her grip suffered for the pain and she fell to the grass below in a loud yelp. Thankfully, she twisted enough to land on her feet and rolled from the impact.

What happened in the next few minutes that followed lived in a haze. Someone picked her up, uttering words of beratement. Her eyes rested on the print of a white skull and crossbones on a black shirt, and above it, a sharp jaw line scowling below slicked back bleached blond hair. She closed her eyes and exhaled, able to relax for some reason despite her fall.

"The hell you tryin' to do, break your leg?" Kanji's tone switched to concern. "Hey, Naoto, stay awake. Naoto..."

* * *

She tried everything in her power to stay awake as he carried her, though finally gave up and settled for keeping herself conscious by listening to the world around her. She heard the sound of a lock click open, and an announcement that he was home. The voice of an older woman responded in kind, then told him to come get dinner. Something soft cushioned her when he set her down.

After a moment, she blinked, finally sitting up, and noticed she was surrounded by a pile of neatly balled up socks in an open sock drawer. The clothing exuded a specific type of detergent she recognized, and after a few sniffs, she could place where she knew it from.

These socks belonged to Kanji Tatsumi. How in the name of Science did she wind up in his sock drawer?

Upon further investigation of her surroundings, she realized she was in his room. It failed to resemble her expectation of its appearance. It was clean, and neat. Trinkets and miscellaneous items filled baskets along shelves, his bed was made, the nightstands on either side were organized, a dark curtain hiding the window over his headboard was tied off to one side by a strip of cloth bearing designs she could have sworn were hand embroidered with lightning designs, the floor was clear of crumpled up clothing or random items, and the only area that could be classified as 'cluttered' was his desk. The color scheme of the room revolved around dark shades of the cool spectrum. The only variance she saw came from a wicker basket harboring many skeins of multicolored yarn. It was only after she noticed that, that more points of color showed themselves in greens, yellows, blues, reds, and purples. To her surprise, a small key chain with a pink teddy bear rested on the dresser above her. It appeared to be knitted by hand.

She would have never guessed this was the personal living area of the school's most feared first year student. She must have hit her head harder than she thought.

Naoto stood in the drawer and reached for the bear key chain to further analyze it, when a stab of pain throbbed through her hand. She mewed, clutching her wrist. The splinter from the tree was still there. She tried pulling it out with her teeth, but only succeeded in irritating the skin of her palm.

Her attention snapped to the door when it closed.

"Good, you're awake. I snuck a plate from dinner." He set it on top of the dresser. "You might not be hungry, but my mom's a good cook, so you should at least try it."

Naoto just stared at him for a long while, studying him to discern his intentions. She could see through that shell he constantly kept up around everyone else. "Why did you bring me here?" She finally asked.

He had to tear his eyes away from the pure adorableness of her ears when they twitched. "That's a stupid question. You fell out of a tree and hit your head. That kind of a fall could hurt anyone, and you had to be stupid enough to do it when you're a foot tall. You kept zoning in and out on the way here, so you have a concussion. Only an idiot would try to be alone after that."

She frowned as he dug through a desk drawer looking for something. "I'm fine." She sat back down in the socks from a wave of dizziness. Unfortunately, she realized he was right.

"Bull shit." If she was trying to lie to him, she was doing a piss poor job at it.

"Kanji?" His mother knocked at the door.

The older youth panicked and shoved the little cat demon down into the socks.

A mew of surprise squeaked out of her at the sudden action and darkness as he slammed the drawer shut. Socks piled around her. She was lucky her tail hadn't been caught.

Mrs. Tatsumi opened the door. "Who are you talking to, dear?"

"I'm on the phone, mom, jeez! Leave a man to his privacy!"

"You left your phone in your jacket by the door."

A muscle in his cheek twitched.

Her eyes flicked to his hand pressed against his dresser drawer, then to his tense expression. His awkward behavior didn't get passed her at all. Most likely, he was working on another sewing project. She loved how he exercised his creative abilities, but wished he'd embrace the beauty of his artistic self a little more. "I'm sorry for barging in. Please take out the trash before tomorrow morning," she smiled

He calmed, and nodded. "Yeah, ok, mom."

And with a wink, she closed the door.

He exhaled in relief, waited a second to make sure she'd left, and opened the drawer.

Naoto sat up, shaking out her hair and ears, and blinked in the sudden light. "You really need to work on bluffing."

He picked her up, ignoring her irritated mew, and set her on the dresser top. "Lemme fix that hand before it gets infected." He set down a kit and opened it, removing a pair of tweezers. Having an arsenal of small tools for crafts sometimes came in hand. "Hold still."

She cringed when he took her tiny wrist between two fingers and turned her palm skyward. The touch of the tool sent her into a pain-filled high pitched meow. She automatically sunk her teeth into Kanji's hand.

He grit his teeth, freezing and willing himself not to tear his hand away. Two tiny drops of blood escaped the wound.

Realizing what she did, Naoto looked up at his face contorted in agony. Yet, he didn't move, he didn't harm her or slap her aside. He just let her bite him and took it. Anyone else would have had a more violent reaction. His will power was impressive. She let him go, suddenly ashamed of her actions, licked the wound once lightly, and turned away. Her ears drooped.

"What was that for? I know it hurt, but damn. Hell of a bite." He exhaled as the pain subsided. He blinked down at the top of her head. He could never hurt her. Even when she inflicted any damage, he could never reciprocate.

"Just get it over with already," she mumbled.

The way she came across now, even as a cat demon, was one of humility and regret. "As long as you keep your teeth to yourself." He pressed the tweezers gently to her palm again.

She mewed and bit her lip, quivering, but holding steady. After a moment, it was over. The pressure in her palm relieved when he removed the splinter, wrapped a band-aid around her hand with the medicated pad covering her palm, and let her go. She rubbed her wrist, still refusing to make eye contact with him. "Thank you."

He disinfected his own wound with a bandage and tucked the kit back in its place at the desk.

"I'm sorry I bit you." She sat on a skein of yellow yarn on the dresser and played with the loose end absently between the fingers of her left hand.

"Forget about it. You're an animal demon, so part of you has to be all animal-like, right?" He watched her toy with the end of the yarn, hoping she wouldn't ask about why he had it, or the four baskets of other types of yarn and needles on the shelf. They were silent for a while, both lost in their own thoughts. "Look, if you want to go home, I can-"

Her head had dipped down again with the yarn hanging limply in her hand.

"Naoto! Stay awake."

She jerked awake.

"On second thought, you're staying here."

"My mother's expecting me." Her phone had been in her pocket when she'd changed, and she wasn't sure if it would function properly at this size. The basics of the Change skill would simply alter her body. However, in the past month, she'd figured out how to affect the size of anything on her person –clothes, keys, change, her phone- whatever was in her pockets shrank or grew with her command. Hope that the technology would still transmit and receive signals clenched in her chest as she typed a text to her mother's phone and waited. Moments later, a short response popped up. She sighed happily.

[Where are you? Are you ok?]

[I'm with Kanji Tatsumi. He thinks I have a concussion.]

She waited patiently for a reply, looking up to the tall youth, who pinned his gaze immediately elsewhere. If he was trying to fool her into thinking he wasn't watching her, he'd failed.

Her mother's response beeped in. [Do you feel safe?]

What kind of question was that? Of course she felt safe—albeit a little nervous at being in a stranger's home—but her senses hadn't picked up any 'red alert' signs from the tall first year. Though she found her ease around the school's known delinquent odd, she relayed a simple "yes" to her mother.

[Then stay there. Come home tomorrow.]

Naoto's eyes widened. Normally, an animal demon and their bonded couldn't be apart for very long without feeling some effects of the others absence. However, she'd been away for two days, and felt very little. And now she was being ordered to stay away for a third. It disturbed her that she felt a light wash of relief at being ordered to stay with Kanji.

She cleared her throat, scratched at itch at her right ear, and looked around. "Where are my shoes and hat? I left them by the fence."

Kanji gestured to the floor below the dresser, out of her sight. "They're here. I saw them and that's why I stopped. You're lucky. I don't normally go that way."

"Why'd you switch your routine now?"

He shrugged. "Guess I just kinda felt like it. A guy can change his mind whenever he wants, ya know." It wasn't a complete lie. He'd felt a strong compulsion to switch his path home, and had been thinking about Naoto at the time.

She focused on her Change skill. Ribbons of energy coiled around her, though died down almost immediately. Her shoulders slumped from the exertion. The concussion must be enough to scatter her control over the skill.

"Hey, take it easy. You don't want to hurt yourself." He hadn't meant to put that much concern into the words, and hoped she didn't notice.

The pink knitted teddy bear key chain sitting next to her soon became her new area of focus. "Did you make this?"

"Uh yeah," he muttered. "It's just a little thing for this kid I saw the other day. It's no big deal."

"It's good. It's very detailed, and the lines are perfect."

He blinked at her as she put the bear back where she'd found it. "...Yeah, it's not like I actually wanted to make that or anything. I just felt bad for this kid who lost his." He felt a sense of accomplishment and acceptance at her compliment, and was genuinely surprised and happy that she approved of his work. "What were you doing in a tree in someone elses yard anyway?"

Naoto shrugged. "Following a lead. I didn't want it to be a night of wasted effort. We are on a time crunch to at get Chie to look Human before school starts." She picked up a pan fried bit of broccoli and munched. The wooziness hadn't quite worn off yet, but she knew if she didn't get something into her system, the effects would be much worse.

"Any luck?"

"Yes, actually. I overheard something very interesting." She said in a yawn.

"Tell me about it."

She regarded him coolly. "I know what you're doing."

Her calm down washed around him. "What do you mean?"

"You're keeping me talking. I read that someone suffering from a concussion must remain conscious for at least two hours after the incident to ensure there's no serious damage." She bundled up some of the loose yarn to create a make-shift pillow and laid down on it. Her tail draped over the side of the dresser. For some reason, she couldn't fall asleep even if she let herself succumb to the desire. The phrase, '_Naoto. Stay awake_' took precedence over the urge to sleep itself.

"Well..." Kanji fumbled for his train of thought. "Yeah. What, I got a stake in this, too, ya know. I was there when those freaks-of-nature attacked."

"Why are you so concerned about me?"

"I... I just am."

The room thickened from the pressure of the silence. Kanji sat cross-legged on his bed. "So, you gonna tell me what you heard, or just sit there staring off into space?" He bit his tongue before the words 'cute' or 'soft' came out of his mouth.

He listened as she explained everything she could remember from eavesdropping on the dog demon and the delivery man. When he inquired about who 'he' was, she simply shrugged. At least now they had a location, and a name. They'd confront this bastard tomorrow with everyone else and drag the dog demon back to that world. He'd make the sorry runt return Chie to normal the old fashioned way –the same way he convinced that biker gang to get the hell away from his house so his mom could sleep in peace.

"We need him to not be a broken mess so he can tell us who his bonded is, and the Inaba police can bring that person to justice." Naoto mumbled from her yarn-bed.

How had she known of his intentions? He'd remained silent throughout her entire retelling and didn't any clue to his thoughts beyond clenching his fists and gritting his teeth. They didn't know each other well enough to gauge the others possible reaction based on minute physical signs alone. If a bond existed between them in the same manner as Yu and that annoying fox demon, then surely she'd know about it, too.

He watched her eyes droop to her fight against sleep as she stared at the ceiling. Maybe she really didn't know. "Have you always wanted to be a detective? I mean, it wasn't chosen for you?"

"Yes and no. There is a possibility my connection to my mother could be a contributing factor, or even finding myself at the police station that day. Even before, in the Red World, I couldn't let myself sleep like the others could until I knew who had taken us, where we were, and where we were going." She yawned. "I just have to follow my instincts and find the truth. It's who I am."

Again, silence lingered between them. The odd car passed by on the street outside with their headlights tracking smoothly across the room. Soon, the pattering of water against his window replaced the still night as a small drizzle opened up over the town.

He checked his watch. Two hours had passed since he'd found her in the yard of that apartment building. "It's probably ok to sleep now if you're tired."

Naoto relaxed completely before he'd even finished the sentence. She was sound asleep within a few short breathes.

* * *

The detective prince retold this night to the others in the gazebo. Though as they leaned forward in rapt attention, he'd drawn back into his own thoughts after she'd fallen asleep.

.

Kanji had taken the trash out before the rain had a chance to really soak the sidewalks, and went back to his room. The little cat demon hadn't moved beyond resting her head on her arm.

He'd carefully scooped her up into both hands, moved his pillow to the middle of the bed, rested her on its soft surface, then sank into the desk chair.

It unsettled him to see her injured at all, even from his attempt to remove the splinter from her palm. He recalled giving her the name she now owned at the station, petting her soft ears, and leaving. There hadn't been enough time for a bond to form between them. They lived separate lives for over a month, though he could remember having trouble sleeping, and not being very hungry. He'd thought his grumpiness was part of the change in habits. He'd even started a couple of fights because of a few heated words thrown by arrogant jerks. Normally, it would take more than a spit of pathetic, unimpressive slights to set him off, and thus he'd been given a reminder by his mother to reign in his temper. It got to the point where she'd called him out on his fuze being shorter than usual.

But maybe that miniscule moment of less than 30 seconds in time was all it took. She'd saved him that day, and he owed her.

Their trip through the t.v world swirled in his head. She'd guarded him and Rise when that floating tongue creature attacked. She'd taken up point with him to protect the girl after she'd been paralyzed, and she'd calmed him down by merely letting her hand linger on his arm when he'd yelled at the fox demon at the Hanamura's house earlier that night. She'd also stood next to him and guided him through the fog before that squeaky-voiced bear demon gave him his sunglasses.

He wondered if he should say anything to her at all when she awoke.

Kanji watched over her that night with the sound of the rain as his only company. Eventually, at about 1am, he nodded off at the desk into a deep, peaceful slumber for the first time in a month.

.

These inner thoughts remained with him. For now, there was no need for the others to know.

* * *

**Next Scent: The Search for Mitsuo  
**


	15. 15th Scent: The Search for Mitsuo

**((I wrote this in one day! Woo! and now, I sleep. The gas station attendant didn't have a name in the game or anime, so I just gave him the name of the Japanese voice actor. Turned out, he also voiced Yu Narukami. the physics! *L* Enjoy, folks.))**

* * *

_A few minutes after Naoto's flashback story..._

Yosuke had set the cup down and climbed over to sit on Yu's knee to listen. When she'd finished, he tapped his finger idly against the dark fabric in thought. "And here I thought we were going to find him just to say, 'hi, remember us?' It sucks that he has to be part of something that took-" He clamped his mouth shut as memories of Saki smiling at him at Junes flashed through his mind. He bit his lip against it, forcing his ears and tail to stay as they were and not betray his shift in emotions. To even further hide his thoughts, though more to protect himself against them, he chuckled. "I'm glad you landed on your feet. Way to embrace your cat demon-ness, Naoto."

Naoto cast him a steely glare.

Chie's jaw hit the floor, or rather the seat she stood on, when Naoto finished her story. She understood a few words here and there, but was still mostly lost. She was actually grateful for Yosuke's translation. If Naoto knew where the third demon lived, why didn't she call anyone sooner? They should already be on their way to storm his house, kick the door down, and drag his ass back through a television to change her back. How could they all still be sitting there?

Determined to track down this loser if she had to herself, she dropped to the floor and ran to the steps. She stopped when Yukiko's voice caught her as soon as her feet touched the grass.

"We don't know all the facts yet, Chie," Yukiko moved to kneel down in front of her best friend.

"Running in as we are right now won't accomplish anything," Naoto added. "Mitsuo might not even be the one controlling the device that altered you. I think his Bonded is responsible for that, and is using him as a lackey." That idea in itself was just wrong. The pair –human and animal demon—needed to work together with appreciation for each other, or the bond could turn toxic. "We still need to find out who 'He' is."

The little dog demon gazed down the hill to the walking path as the wind swept past her hair and ears. She sighed heavily. If she was going to properly galactic punt the other dog demon into the next century, she needed to first master the Change skill. But not in public. She couldn't even do it once, let alone affect anything on her—like clothing for example.

"You said they were going to meet somewhere today. Do you know where?" Yu asked.

"Sorry," Naoto shook her head. "They never said."

"Wish there was a way to warn whoever they're going after next." Kanji leaned back in his seat and watched Naoto. She stood in the center of the gazebo –having not moved from the spot throughout the entire story. She wore an air of control like a scarf, though he knew she was just as lost as the rest of them.

Yosuke looked up at his Human, and jumped to the floor. "Let's follow him and find out where they're going." There was a possibility the dog demon hadn't left yet. He ran over to Chie, about to repeat what he'd said in his language when she held up her hand.

"I got it, dweeb." She smiled when the others eyes widened in shock. Apparently, her ability to understand her own language was improving rapidly, even if she couldn't repeat more than a few words yet.

Kanji stood. "So, let's track down the little punk already and quit wasting time talking about it." His phone beeped an incoming message before he'd even finished speaking. He checked it. It was a picture from Naoto. Everyone elses phones soon followed suit.

Naoto tucked her phone back into her pocket as those who had phones checked them. "I sent you all the photo my mother was able to pull from the security footage last night. It's the kid Yosuke told us about. I got a good look at him last night, so this is definitely the person we're looking for."

Yu opened the message. The image was in black and white, and a little grainy, but he could clearly see Yosuke facing a shorter kid with a slightly slouched posture. He could make out a pattern on the boy's shirt that resembled an old 8 bit video game scene. The slightly upturned smile on his face sent chills up Yu's spine. This kid was eying Yosuke in this shot like Chie eyed a freshly grilled steak. He wondered how the fox demon could be in such close quarters to the third demon from their box and not realize it.

He felt a tug on his pant leg and looked down. Yosuke was reaching up for the phone. "Oh. Right." He passed it down, remembering his friend had no way to carry his own.

The little fox-boy held the phone in both hands with the oversized touch screen angled so Chie could get a good look, too. He frowned and shoved the tech at her. "Here. Hold this."

"Wha? Oomph!" She grabbed hold of the phone in both of her tiny hands so he could use both of his to pull in on the image.

That vacant expression resurrected the tense, threatening sense of that moment. He'd wanted to get away from those hollow, solid black eyes as fast as possible. His ears folded back slightly. "Yeah, that's him. He's just as creepy in a picture."

Yukiko put her phone away after memorizing the kid's face. "If neither of you really remembered him, could there have been more that came with you?"

"No," Naoto stated.

"Absolutely not," Yosuke mirrored.

"Are you sure," Yu bent down to take his phone back and pocketed it.

"I'm positive."

"Only fools are positive."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm posi-"

Yosuke folded his arms under a slight smirk.

"..." Yu snatched up the fox demon with one hand and shoved him into the empty school bag. He heard the fox triumphantly shout, 'Totally worth it!'

That sent the tallest of the girls to her knees in a laughing fit.

Soon after, Rise came jogging up the grassy hill to find the girl in the red sweater laughing uncontrollably. She blinked curiously. "Um...did I miss something?" Her brown eyes moved to the small dog demon standing next to Yukiko, then to the fox demon leaning halfway out of the bag. "Is she ok, or should we call someone?"

"She'll recover soon," Yu studied the giggling girl on the grass. "I think."

Kanji moved down to join them. "Wow, what's up with her? It wasn't that funny."

Chie tried to tell him about her friend's endearing trait, but all she received was a raised eyebrow. She tugged on Yukiko's hand to tell her they should just go.

Yukiko got to her feet and wiped the tears away. "Sorry, I –heehee—I'm ok. Haha. Really."

"Right," Rise cleared her throat, glanced to her feet, then to the others. "I just wanted to thank you guys for saving me yesterday. You risked a lot, and I think you almost lost someone because of me." She looked to Yosuke. She'd seen the card hover over him, too, when they'd all thought he hadn't survived the battle. "What happened to Chie...well, that was supposed to be me, but she was hurt instead." She gripped the collar of her pink jacket in her right hand. "I want to help you figure out who's doing this to people. I want to join your group, and try to catch this guy if you'll let me."

Yu looked to Naoto and Kanji, then to Yukiko and the dog demon at her feet. He glanced down to Yosuke, who in turn, looked up to him. When did this suddenly become his decision? If they'd held a consensus to make him the leader of this...well, he guessed it was a group...he was absent for it. They'd all been thrown together through a series of unlikely events because of the animal demons. He wondered if they would have given each other more than the time of day had different decisions been made –if the three demons hadn't been rescued from the TV world. Where would they all be now? A large part of him didn't want to know about that alternate reality. That would mean he'd lose everyone, and he'd be alone again.

Seeing that no one else was going to respond, he took the initiative –and the mantle of 'Leader'- and nodded once to Rise. If there were any objections, none were voiced.

She smiled brightly and bowed. "Thank you."

Yukiko moved over to her and showed the photo taken from the security footage. "This is the person we're going to follow."

Rise studied the picture carefully. "Hm. I've never seen him before. I don't think he goes to Yasogami High."

"In all honesty," Naoto began, "We can use an extra set of eyes to help analyze the situation."

"Count me in!" Rise snapped into her best salute.

"Then let's go, I want to ask you what you remember from your abduction anyway, if that's all right."

"I don't remember much, but I'll tell you everything I know."

The cat demon lead the way down the hill with Kanji following, and listened as Rise told her story. Her ears turned slightly beneath her cap when she noticed him staring at her. "Something on your mind?"

He could see them—her tail, and most likely her ears under her hat. They were in public, so he knew she wouldn't risk exposing her true nature in front of every morning jogger in Inaba. None of this made any sense. Still, he could see her tail swaying lightly with her gait. The end curled up so her fur wouldn't touch the ground. "Nothing. Just can't wait to get my hands on this guy, that's all."

"Hm." Naoto turned back to the new girl. "I'm sorry. Continue."

Yukiko bent down to pick up the little dog demon, but Chie stepped back and shook her head. Confused, she looked over to Yu, then to Chie, and stood. "I think she wants to do this herself."

"Let her be," Yu suggested. "She should still be allowed to do what she wants, even if it's not a practical choice." He turned to follow the others.

Yukiko shrugged, smiled at Chie, and joined up with Yu.

Chie jogged behind them. So far, no one passed by them, or they'd see her. This fact of reality struck her too late. She could ruin this for everyone if she were seen, but her pride wouldn't allow her to back down. She huffed and puffed as she ran along side them.

"You know," Yosuke poked his head out of the back of the school bag, "you're doing this the hard way. Just accept a ride. It's a lot easier than keeping up."

"I'm...fine...Hana...mura," she breathed.

"Uh huh. I can see that." He watched her for a moment, a little entertained by her self-imposed plight. Then he shrugged. "Ok, then. Good luck not being seen. Oh, and I think this is a 'leashes-on' zone for dogs."

She growled at him.

Yu quickly scooped her up, ignoring her out of breath argument. "He has a point." He looked to Yukiko. "Do you mind?"

She shook her head. "They might kill each other, though."

He leaned over to whisper an idea into her ear so the fine tuned hearing of their companions couldn't pick it up.

"Ah," the slim girl touched a finger lightly to her lip in thought. "I suppose that could work. Just this once."

Chie made a small questioning noise.

"Chie?"

The other cocked one ear up in a 'what' motion.

"Please be civil to Yosuke and don't hurt him," Yukiko smiled.

The dog demon girl folded her arms, unhappy, but if it would keep Yukiko smiling, she would consider the request –which she surprisingly understood. She exhaled when Yu placed her into the school bag. It was cramped, but manageable, and smelled like leather. She looked to the fox demon, who grinned. Her first instinct was to kick him, but she held back.

"See? Isn't this much easier than running?"

Chie pushed the flap up a little to watch where they were going. "I'm agreeing to this for her. Not to prove you were right."

"So you admit it? Hah! I win." He grinned and stretched his arms over his head, brushing his fingers against the underside of the cover. . "Hey, at least she didn't command you."

She glanced back to him. "What? She can't do that." her resolve cracked. "...Can she?"

"Of course she can." He uttered it like it was common knowledge. "She named you."

Chie slid down into the bag. Would her best friend really use that kind of power against her? Yukiko was the kindest person she'd ever known. There's no way she would assert her will over that of someone elses.

"Hey," her worry filled the space between them. "I hate that part of this thing, too, but Yukiko's nice. Like Yu. They'd never do that."

Chie frowned. She knew Yukiko better than anyone, and could bet her life on her friend's kindness toward others –albeit she could be a little airheaded at times. Still, she prayed the fog demon was right. She curled her tail around her and rode with the bag's motions. Apparently, it was a long walk to Mitsuo's.

She looked over to Yosuke, who'd pulled a shred of paper out of a side pocket next to a blue pen and was folding it into a paper crane out of boredom. She crossed her arms across her chest. If she was going to be like this forever, then this would be her new future –riding in a bag with an annoying fox-kid. Only she was now exactly like him, so maybe it should be this way.

"Wanna play a game?"

His voice interrupted her mild pity party. She turned her focus to him. "What kind of game?"

"Rock Paper Scissors. Nanako taught me." He smiled. "It'll distract you."

"What do you know about distractions? You're never present anyway."

His ears drooped slightly. He thought of the horrible nightmare, of the other young animal demons finding their deaths by being eaten by Shadows, and of Saki, partially transformed into a squirrel demon, most likely terrified, and ultimately not surviving an encounter with her shadow and that weapon. Despite this, he kept the smile, staying brave for her. He liked having her around –he liked having everyone around—and he'd keep smiling if it meant he wouldn't be alone. "You wanna play, or what?" He held out his closed fist, ready to start the game.

The air seemed different between them. He was hiding something behind that smile, but she couldn't tell what. Still, what could a simple childhood game hurt? She matched his starting point with his. "Rock paper scissors!"

She chose rock.

He chose paper.

* * *

Naoto lead them through town to the street she'd gone down the night before, and stopped in front of the apartment complex. The delivery truck was gone, though a fresh oil stain on the pavement suggested it lingered there a short time ago.

"Dammit, we just missed them." Kanji kicked a can across the street.

"No," Naoto looked up to the gate and the apartment beyond. "We didn't. They were going to meet each other somewhere, so Mitsuo is on foot."

"Let's split up," Yu gestured to Kanji, Naoto, and Rise. "Naoto, do you remember the name of the company for the delivery truck?"

She nodded. "Yes. It was on the side of the vehicle."

"Ok. You guys go check it out. Yukiko and I will try to find Mitsuo. Let's meet at the shrine around...say 1?"

Chie barked at him, asking why they couldn't spend the whole day searching.

"Because," Naoto answered. "You and Yosuke need to try to look human before tomorrow morning. You both need time for practice and recovery."

Chie frowned. She hated timed projects.

"I think I can help with finding this company," Rise stretched her arms over her head. "I've always been pretty good with directions, plus I think it's the same place that delivers goods to my grandmother's shop." Her voice disappeared in the distance as the three discussed their plan of action.

Everyone moved off with their appointed group.

"You're really getting into this 'leader' thing, aren't you." Yukiko noted lightly.

Yu shrugged. He was just trying to make the best possible choice out of all of the options he'd been given.

"So," she clasped her hands behind her back, "how are we going to find this guy anyway?"

That was a very good question. At first, he thought he could ask Chie to try to sniff him out, but decided against it, afraid he'd insult her. He could ask Yosuke to do the same, but that risked exposing both animal demons to the prying eyes of Inaba. In truth, he just wanted some alone time with Yukiko. He figured he'd come up with a plan after accomplishing the first agenda, though thought he'd have more time to think it over. "If he lives in the area, then there should be someone around here who would recognize him. Maybe someone saw which way he went."

Yukiko hummed approvingly and glanced away, hoping her long hair would hide the faint blush coloring her cheeks.

They moved from store to store, showing the picture of Mitsuo to those within. A ramen shop owner pointed them in the direction of the shopping district. They both took a break to drink a Dr. Salt –which they each shared with Yosuke and Chie. A half hour later, another man browsing a tea shop said he'd spotted someone matching Mitsuo's description running toward the Samegawa flood plain. Both teenagers thanked the man and jogged down the street. They stopped in front of the Moel gas station to catch their breath.

"You guys need a hand with something?"

Yu turned to face the station, and the grinning attendant who'd spoken up.

"Oh, hey, it's you. Bored with his town yet?"

He seemed familiar. It took a moment for Yu to remember the man who'd offered him a job the first day he'd arrived in Inaba. Shortly after, he'd had the most powerful short-lived headache of his life.

Yu held out his phone. "We're looking for a friend. Have you seen him?"

The silver-haired attendant leaned forward, rubbing his jaw in thought. "Yeah, I've seen him in this area lots of times before."

Yosuke's ears twitched. A spike of warmth shot through his core, causing his ears to pull completely back, and his tail to fluff. He sat up straight, wide eyed, and frozen in place. As he listened to the high tenor voice, his tiny fist began to tremble.

The attendant continued. "Those solid black eyes are too unique to forget. He's kind of a weird kid. He doesn't talk much, but when he does, it's like he's talking right through you."

Chie noticed his complete change of character. She was about to ask what was wrong when he suddenly pinned her against the bottom of the bag and pressed his hand over her mouth. Her eyes shot wide open, and she yipped behind his palm. However, she quieted when he put a finger to his lips in a sharp manner to tell her to be quiet. She could feel his hand quivering against her skin, and his breathing quickened. Whoever this person outside was, it was someone who petrified him.

She sniffed the air lightly. No, it wasn't entirely fear. It was something else mixed with...

...Anger.

And it was getting worse. She grabbed his wrist and tried to tell him through looks only not to go out there or to do anything stupid. But mostly to get off of her. He looked to be on the edge of either screaming, or making an equally idiotic move that would endanger them all.

"Can you tell us which way he went?" Yukiko asked the attendant.

Yu could sense something was making his animal demon crazily nervous; close to a freak-out point. He kept his expression neutral. Instead of pocketing the phone like he'd normally do, he slid it into the bag where the two demons remained hidden from view.

Chie watched the phone drop next to them –still lit with the screen capture of Mitsuo's emotionless stare, bathing them all in a blue light—then to Yu's giant hand as he rested his palm gently against the fox's back. The jagged edge of panic and severity instantly faded from Yosuke's eyes. He stopped shaking. His breath evened out, and she felt his grip over her mouth loosen. Slowly, his hand fell lazily away and he sat back, exhaling.

The phone went dark.

Yosuke's ears drooped as he crossed his left hand over to wrap around Yu's fingers.

Chie sat there, speechless at what she was witnessing. She thought back to the last time they were at the gazebo discussing Saki's appearance on the Midnight Channel, and the discovery of her body that morning. Her friend's hand had remained on Yosuke's back the whole time, but she hardly regarded it as more than a comforting gesture between friends. Until this moment, she'd had no idea what else he'd been doing. Yu had calmed down the fox demon enough for him to maintain control over himself. And he was doing the same thing right now.

"He went down the street that way, toward the flood plain a few minutes ago," The attendant cheerfully volunteered.

Chie saw Yosuke's hand tighten over his human's fingers. In turn, Yu's index move over the others ear in a 'calm down' motion. It was a gesture she'd used with her own dog when Muku started barking at thunder, or at a neighborhood cat.

"Thanks," Yu said. "What's your name?"

"Daisuke."

Yu nodded again, and turned with Yukiko to walk away.

"Hey, let me know if you're interested in that job. We still have an opening."

Curiosity claimed her control. Chie risked turning around to stand and look out behind them through the loop at the top of the bag. The attendant watched them until they rounded a corner. As he did, his kind customer service demeanor shifted to that of someone with knowledge and power, as the smile no longer held simply the willingness of a servant, but mystery. He held up one hand and waved, locking eyes with Chie.

She gasped and shrank back down into the bag. If she could ever find out what he did to her friend, she'd drop-kick him across town in one shot. There was something different about that attendant that eluded her, but apparently not Yosuke. She'd never seen him behave like that before. Anything he did, she could handle. That wasn't the problem. What worried her was the person that could elicit that kind of reaction.

Chie touched his knee lightly, since he was sitting cross-legged in front of her. "Who was that?"

Yosuke blinked slowly, licked his dry lips, and spoke. "The silver-haired man."

She didn't really know the history behind his description, but she had to ask anyway. "Are you ok?"

The little fox demon gave her a small grin with a yip that he was fine, and that it was no big deal.

Chie could tell the answer was meant to placate her. The smile was fake, too.

She knew this, because he hadn't let go of Yu's fingers at all.

* * *

**Next Scent: Breaking and Entering  
**


	16. 16th Scent: Breaking and Entering

**((Thank to you to all of my readers for sticking with this. I honestly don't know how this is going to end, so enjoy this meandering story. To everyone who reviewed, thank you. :) *note* I wrote the second part of this chapter to "Kimi ga Yobu Namae" the theme music from Natsume Yuujinchou. I'm in love with this music.))**

The river flowed lazily through the Samegawa flood plain on its ancient course through the valley. Water burbled against the rocks along the beach, thin shafts of sunlight speared through the clouds onto the water, and a cool breeze rustled the leaves of trees flanking the top of the wide stone stairs leading to where they now stood. All in all, it was a beautiful Sunday begging to be enjoyed. Save for the two teenagers, the recreational area was void of life.

The two looked down the shore in both directions, and squinted to see the other side, but saw no one else. The two animal demons crawled out of the school bag to stretch and take in some fresh air.

"I guess we really did miss them," Yukiko sighed. Her hand deftly brushed her windswept hair away from her face.

Yu looked around, absorbing the early noon scene. Sometimes people would bring their children here to play in the water, or have a picnic, but today didn't seem to be one of those days. Why people weren't out making the most of it, he didn't know. "Hopefully Naoto, Kanji, and Rise had better luck."

He glanced to the little fox smiling as he let the water flow around his ankles. Something about the gas station attendant had sent Yosuke into a near panic attack.

"What was that all about back there?" Chie asked in his language, pushing up the sleeves of her sweater. "Who's the silver-haired man?"

Yosuke looked to her, then up to Yu and Yukiko, knowing two of them expected an answer. His human already knew. Might as well come out and say it, then apologize for his over reaction. First he spilled the beans to the dog demon, then to his friends. "He's the one who dumped me at the shrine."

"The one who told you to stay in the box?" Yukiko frowned slightly.

Yosuke nodded. "Yup, that would be him. I don't really remember his face, but I'd know his voice anywhere."

"That's why you had a massive freak-out episode," Chie said. "What exactly were you afraid of? He didn't know we were there."

Yosuke stayed quiet as he sat down to pull on his shoes. A quick memory sparked in his mind of a day when he'd awakened in the box. Light from outside bled through the brown folds above him. He'd stood, and stretched to push them open. They wouldn't give. He shoved with all of his strength, even went to the side and tried to pull down an edge. He'd succeeded in letting more light in, but wasn't able to squeeze through. He'd cried to be let out, punched and kicked the cardboard walls until he was panting from exertion. His efforts hadn't even made a hairline tear. He'd flopped back onto the towels to look at the slip of light allowed into his dark prison and rolled to his side, clutching the cotton fabric in his fist. He'd begged to be let out. The cat was gone, and he thought someone else should have been there, too, but he couldn't quite remember. All he knew was that he had been left alone. The attendant showed up a while later to let him run around the back room and stretch, but he soon found himself back in the box with fresh towels, food, and water. Regardless of the words of comfort to not worry, he would still be left alone in the dark inside the closed box. Shortly after, he'd fall asleep. This went on repeatedly for days.

Yosuke shook out his ears and stretched his arms over his head. "It's dumb. I overreacted," he yipped to her. "Let's just forget about it and try to find Mitsuo. We've got to get you back to normal before someone tries to take you to the pound." Chie's foot slammed into his stomach. "Oomph! My spleen..."

Yosuke wore his emotions too openly to be a good liar. Yu knew this simply because of the others behavior. Somehow, the attendant had been able to give the fox demon a command before he'd been named, most likely kept him in that box before hand, and abandoned him to the fury of a storm. Yu would bet anything that Yosuke's anger was born from those hours, and that his fear came from the possibility of being taken back to that setting.

There was no way in Tartarus he'd let that happen.

If the attendant was directly involved with the animal demons, then he could still be involved with Mitsuo.

The alarm on his watch went off. He clicked it to silent. "Let's meet back up with the others. We can work on you two changing back before tomorrow."

"I'm not getting back in that thing with the Ice Queen," Yosuke jabbed a finger at their ride.

"Chie," Yukiko eased. "Remember to be civil to him, ok? It's only for a little while, then we'll head back to the inn."

It took a moment to decipher her friend's words, but the message was clear. Chie's tail brushed back and forth with irritation. She let her agreement out in a quick, 'yarf,' and crawled into the bag.

Yosuke eyed the bag, then up to Yu. "Do I have to? Her breath smells like onions and she keeps kicking me."

"For the last time, it was a breakfast burrito! Hoshi's cooking is amazing." Chie barked.

Yu shrugged. "Not unless you can use the Change skill right now."

Yosuke gave it his best shot. Ribbons of energy coiled around him, hiding his ears and tail, and increasing in height briefly before his focus scattered. The energy dissipated, leaving behind a panting, exhausted fox demon. His ears drooped.

The little dog demon poked her head out of the bag. "Shut up, you big baby, and get your butt in here so we can leave."

"You heard the woman," Yu said. He smirked at the disgruntled pointing –a wordless swear of revenge- the other gave him the whole way into the school bag. "Good try, though." Once settled, he slung the bag over his shoulder.

Yukiko couldn't help but giggle at what she assumed was an argument of 'you move over,' 'no, you move over' spilling into the air.

The two climbed the stairs out of the flood plain and headed back to the park to meet up with the others.

* * *

_Late that night..._

The door to the first floor bathroom slid open easily, even though it was pushed aside by two very tiny hands. Equally small bare feet stepped down into the room and over to a wooden tub resting on a bamboo pallet next to the bathtub. At last, the day and its trials were over. All he wanted to do was soak for a while before bed.

Only minutes before, he'd managed to use the Change skill for the 2nd time, and at that point, had finally accomplished altering his clothing instead of just himself. Being a fox felt more natural right now, since he'd have to change one more time before passing out upstairs. Yosuke was exhausted, sore, yet satisfied.

Hot, steamy water gushed from the faucet of the tub when he turned it on. He filled a child's green plastic sand bucket and poured the hot liquid into his own personal tub repeatedly until the level reached the stained water ring along the inside. His parents got his for him to bathe in before he'd learned to take Human form. It was small enough, that visitors who used this room would think it was part of the traditional Japanese decor. Sayaka would explain that it was for the animal demons of this valley. Because she'd follow it up with a lighthearted chuckle, everyone else would brush it off as a kitchy-cute idea and join in her mirth. They wouldn't ever know that she'd never once lied to them.

Yosuke left his clothes in a pile on the stone floor and sank into the steamy water. He scrubbed up with the small brush always left in the tub, set it aside when he finished, and slipped completely under the surface. A few seconds later, he popped back up, shook his wet hair out, and rested his head against a cushion. Clean, he closed his eyes as the suds removed the day. His ears relaxed to a contented sigh.

Most kids he saw on t.v rallied against bath time –the harbinger of doom, but he loved it. Dunking his head under, or letting the waterfall wash over his ears felt good. It always reminded him of the first time Nanako cleaned him up in the Dojima kitchen sink. He'd smile at the memory every time he'd hear his mother tell him it was time to take a bath. Often, he would already be in the tub, smiling happily as she poured water over his head.

Nanako's lilting laughter, and Yu's slight chuckle of amusement around the words, '_Good job. He'll be clean in no time_,' rang through his mind again, as it did every time.

For some reason, his parents kept the tub after he'd transformed. He was glad they did.

He settled down so the water reached his chin.

Aside from the sounds of the water, the house was completely silent. Tonight was possibly the first time he didn't mind being alone. He knew he'd go to school tomorrow and see everyone again. They were in their own homes sleeping, or getting in last minute studying, and he was o.k. with that. There were people out there who wanted to see him, so he wasn't alone anymore.

He thought about Chie. Was she able to change back tonight? She'd run out of time, and if she didn't show up at school, her parents would tell the police department that she was missing. If she couldn't return to her normal height, people would start asking around about her whereabouts, they'd start snooping into their business and possibly find out about himself and Naoto. They'd bust down his door and drag him away to a laboratory somewhere where he'd never see Naoto, or Yu, or the others again. Every science fiction movie he'd seen said so.

He'd be put back into a box and taken away.

The silver-haired man's grinning face looking down at him flashed in his minds eye briefly. He let out a slight gasp of surprise at the vivid image and sat up to look out the closed bathroom door. The house was quiet. He was still the only living thing in it. Upset at his reaction, he leaned back again with his eyes closed. Why did he have to be so jumpy? True, it had been one hell of a weekend. He just needed to relax and forget about the silver-haired man and Mitsuo for tonight. They'd go looking for him again tomorrow after school like they'd planned at the gazebo. For now, he was safe. At least it wasn't that nightmare again, which surprised him considering what happened on Friday night.

His right ear twitched at the sound of footsteps running across the living room carpet. That made him open his eyes again. His parents shouldn't be home until tomorrow night, and he'd made sure the front door was locked. It wasn't Yu. The other had left an hour ago. No one else had a key, or knew where the spare was stashed in the front yard. He sat up and turned nervously toward the sound of the door sliding against the wooden frame.

"Wah!" He screamed.

"Ah!" Chie mirrored the scream.

"Dude!" His fluffed out tail wrapped tightly around his torso.

"Oh my god!" She slammed the door shut.

"Chie?!"

"Sorry! Sorry!"

"How'd you get in my house?!"

"Put some pants on!"

"I'm taking a bath!"

"Find a towel or something!"

"You don't just barge in on people!"

"I said was sorry, ok?!" She kept her back to the door with her eyes scrunched shut.

Yosuke climbed out the tub with a grumble and wrapped a white cotton wash cloth around his middle, tying it off. There went his relaxing evening. He shoved the door aside angrily. "What are you doing here?" he snarled.

Chie risked opening her eyes. The half naked, dripping wet fox demon glared at her with his arms crossed and his ears flat in irritation. "I came in through the laundry room window. I didn't know which room you were in and this was the first door I checked."

That particular window was the kind where you opened it like a set of horizontal blinds. She must have climbed up and squeezed through. His shock and anger subsided when he noticed no one accompanied her. "Where's Yukiko?"

"At the inn. I came here on my own." She bit her lip and chewed over the words as she smoothed out her tail, "I...I... Ineedyourhelp."

One ear straightened forward. "I'm sorry. I didn't catch that."

She exhaled heavily. "I need your help."

Stunned, he simply stared at her for a moment. "What for?"

Her head dipped as she tried to keep her hands from shaking. She'd run all the way here from the Inn, avoiding prying eyes, other animals, people, and traffic. The distance between the Amagi Inn and the Hanamura residence might as well have been ten miles. Thankfully, it was a clear night, and the moon had provided more than enough light for her to see. Still, being that small running through her home town in the dark frightened her. And she did it out of desperation. She clenched her fists. "I can't change back."

Yosuke blinked.

"I tried," she continued. "I was able to change long enough to call my parents and tell them where I was before I lost control. Yukiko helped me by saying what I needed to say first so I could repeat it. I couldn't change again. I waited for her to fall asleep, then snuck out." She looked up. "I know you suck at it, but you have to help me. If I don't change back by tomorrow..."

He knew what she was thinking. But that last comment made him scrunch up his face slightly in annoyance. "Tch. I changed twice tonight already." Her brown eyes remained on him, exuding hope and need, and her ears pulled forward. He'd given Yu the same look the night he'd been rescued, begging a stranger to take him away from that box. The other had the kindness of heart to save his life.

"Please, Yosuke."

Which meant he –as his animal demon—should do the same. He was also sure he would never hear those words come out of Chie's mouth in that order ever again. "Ok. Lemme get dressed." He went back into the bathroom and shut the door.

Moments later, the two were standing on the floor of his room.

"Why are we in your stinky bedroom for this?"

"Because if you break something downstairs, it's not as easy to hide, and I don't own that much stuff yet."

Sure enough, he had a bed, a television, a side table, clothes in the closet, a dresser, a desk with standard desk supplies, a few stuffed animals, a stuffed frog on the bed near the pillow, a trash can full of balled up paper, some posters on the wall, a pile of CDs near a stereo system, his headphones and MP3 player, his computer, and a shelf with books and trinkets on it. She recognized a few of them, since she and her friends would bring him items to help him become more human. Then there were a few things his parents bought that she hadn't seen before.

A pile of large fruit bars sat next to them.

"Ok, I'll go first." The first time he'd managed to successfully pull off this trick, Yu had been downstairs as support with is parents. Yosuke had asked that he have some privacy. However, that request was completely tossed when he'd stumbled downstairs and lodged himself in the refrigerator to eat everything he could find. The thought to put on clothes before leaving his room hadn't crossed his mind. Thankfully, his mom had hastily thrown a trench coat over him. The incident, however, remained near the top of his 'most embarrassing moments' list.

"It usually helps to not think about anything first. It's like exhaling. In fact, doing that first helps, too." He put his focus into the skill, took a deep breath, and willed his power to 'activate' the command. There really was no other word for it. If he wanted to do it, he had to make it happen. The energy swirled within his center, spread through his arms and legs in the span of a thought, and exploded around him in faint green ribbons tinted orange. They wrapped around him completely, as though he were in the middle of a small cyclone, and stretched with his command. He could see through it clearly and made sure to keep his clothing in mind the entire time. The room shrank, as did the surprised dog demon, and he clenched his fists to hold the power. It pulled from his core like breathe, making him lightheaded. He felt his ears and tail disappear, and nearly broke his concentration in panic –which always happened at this point in the process.

He let go once he felt the skill was complete and inhaled sharply. It was an automatic reaction when the energy dissipated. The entire change took no more than three seconds. He dropped heavily into a slouched sitting position on the floor. The third time was easier than the previous two, but he was now even more exhausted than before, and hungry. Two fruit bars were instantly devoured.

He looked down at the little dog demon, who stared up at him with wide brown eyes, and smiled slightly. "See? Easy. You try it."

Chie nodded quickly and stood straight. She closed her eyes, clenched her fists, but then opened both again. She pointed at the bed.

"Hm?" He looked behind him. "Ah, Right." As much as he liked the female form, this was Chie. Not a girl. He grabbed the faded red blanket from the bed and draped it over her.

Chie sat down as the world went dark. Taking his advice, she focused on the skill and did exactly what he instructed her to do. The energy came to life around her in a light blue haze the same as it did to Yosuke. Her effort broke when she felt her ears and tail hiding by the power, and her concentration failed. She panted from the exertion, though blinked when a fruit bar pushed under the blanket to her.

"It's ok if you don't get it right the first time," he said. "Remember you're not actually losing anything. Just changing forms."

He was right. She couldn't give up. Yukiko was counting on her, and she herself had run out of time. Chie ate the bar quickly, took a deep breath and tried again.

Yosuke leaned heavily against the side of the bed and watched the blanket start to form over a person, then flatten out over the lump of dog demon beneath. Chie tried three more times to change forms, though each one failed. The pile of fruit bars diminished. He refilled them from the stash downstairs in the kitchen and resettled against the bed. The minutes ticked toward midnight, and he yawned loudly. He was almost asleep when he heard a light frustrated sobbing.

"I can't."

"Sure you can," he yawned. "Just keep-"

"If you tell me to keep trying one more time, I'm going to bite your fingers off!" he heard her snap from her shelter.

"Fine. Whatever. It's midnight. I'm going to bed." He flopped onto the bed face down into the pillow.

An uncomfortable silence filled the room, though after a while, he could hear her sniffles again. There was a right thing to do in this moment, and a wrong thing. She'd come to him for help, after all, when she could have gone to Naoto. On top of that, she'd willingly left her Bonded so early in their connection to seek him out. That decision had to be affecting her, thus her energy. He knew from experience that it was painful to be so far away from the one who'd named him. Despite how tired he was, he'd also made a promised a long time ago to live up to his name.

He moved back to the floor to lay on his belly, and slipped his right arm under the blanket.

Chie rubbed at her eyes as two giant fingers rested over her outstretched hand. He was still trying to help regardless of her threat. She wanted more than anything to be back at the inn on that pillow asleep in Yukiko's room. The sense of separation was staggering, and reflected only one other instance in her life: when she had to leave her mom and dad behind for her first day of school. She had to change –for Yukiko, and for everyone.

She turned her palm up to hold onto his fingers. Focusing, she tightened her grip, cleared her mind, and willed the skill to complete.

Energy 'wooshed' around the blanket as it pulled over a human form. She felt her ears and tail disappear, and grit her teeth against the urge to let the energy drop. Her grip over Yosuke's hand tightened as her own became big enough to do so.

He watched the energy die down, and her hand relaxed in his. She breathed heavily beneath the covering, yet she didn't revert back to an animal demon. She'd succeeded.

Carefully, he slid his hand out from under hers and stood. The bottoms of her feet stuck out from beneath the blanket. That was when it hit him like a hammer to the head.

There was a naked girl on his floor.

Even if it was Chie.

He quickly scrambled into his parents bedroom, running into the hallway wall twice. It had been a few days since he'd seen the world from his human height, that it took a moment to readjust his perception. He hastily dug through his mother's closet, and pulled out a long off white tank top dress. Sayaka would often wear this around the house if she didn't want to bother with going out. It flowed prettily around her despite its simplicity. He snatched a long, oversized maroon colored sweater from its hanger, and rushed back to his room.

Chie hadn't moved. She was sound asleep.

He set the clothes on his desk chair and bent to scoop her up off the floor –blanket and all. She was heavier than she looked. Must be all that steak she loved so much. She murmured something as she was lifted and placed gently on the bed. Sure, he could have let her be on the floor, but it was a cold night and she'd been through a lot. He didn't know how resilient animal demons were to illness since he'd never had a cold before and he had no one to ask, but he knew that humans could get sick if they got too cold.

The blanket slipped down over her head. The dog ears were gone, replaced by human ears that separated strands of her short blond hair. He knew it was a trick of the skill. She was finally asleep. Which meant he could finally get some rest.

Then it hit him. Again.

There was a naked girl in his bed.

...Even if it was Chie.

This would make an awesome story if he could ever tell anyone. He backstepped quietly, and left the room with the door standing open. How many times did his life have to suck in a weekend?

Yosuke stretched out on the couch downstairs, glanced to the clock that read a few minutes after midnight, and started to compose a text to Yu. However, he didn't make it that far and passed out with the phone dangling from his hand.

* * *

_After the most awkward morning in the history of mornings..._

"You did it!" Yukiko ran out of the Amagi inn to hug her best friend excitedly. "I'm glad you're all right. When I woke up and you weren't there, I got worried."

Chie hugged her back, smiling. She was happy to be with her best friend again, and felt an overwhelming sense of relief. Even if she couldn't understand more than a few words, the meaning was clear. "I..." she tried, hoping the change came with an immediate understanding of her own language. "happy to...be...um... n, normal."

Yukiko chuckled. "It's ok. We'll work on it." She looked her up and down. "That's a different look for you."

Chie pulled at the sweater, then thumbed to Yosuke behind her, trying to say that he was the one who paired this fashion monstrosity. She yelped when Yukiko snared her hand and hauled her back inside.

"You can borrow one of my spare uniform skirts, and your jacket is still inside."

"Hey," Yu walked up as the girls rushed away. "What did I miss?"

"Chie's back to looking like a Human," Yosuke stated bluntly.

"Good. I was a little worried."

The two waited for their friends to return. With Chie now sporting the more familiar girls uniform with her jacket, the four made the hike in to school. Everyone could tell she was ecstatic to be back to seeing the world from a familiar height, and moving among the populace of Inaba without fear.

She stopped at the gate to Yasogami High and swallowed nervously. It hadn't occurred to her before that she would have to face the teacher, possibly answer questions, or respond to the other students. Being the quiet one in the back wasn't in her nature. Students moved past her within their bubbles of gibberish conversation. She clutched at the collar of her jacket as if it would give her a level of understanding the change skill could not. She may look human, but nothing about her situation was any different. On the inside, she was still an animal demon.

Yukiko stopped as the guys continued on ahead. "Chie?"

She turned toward her friend, and felt the worry start to fade. The taller girl simply being there gave her the strength to move on. She answered with a slight smile, determined to not let this beat her, and entered school grounds.

A faint gasp forced Yukiko to slow her pace and her hand pressed against her mouth. She blinked repeatedly, but they were still there -Chie's tail and ears were slightly transparent, but visible. She remembered telling Yu not a few days ago that this was part of a link between an animal demon and their bonded. Although it was easy to read as notes of fact, experiencing it was a completely different story. How he managed to remain calm through this took an insane amount of control. If he was spooked at all, he never showed it.

The four of them blended with the flow of students to take their seats in class 2-B.

"Man, I'm kind of glad to be back," Yosuke dropped into his creaky old desk. "It's not so bad here. Just cut out all the studying, and it's pretty cool. Right, Chie?" He smarmy grin faded when he noticed her staring at the wall. "Chie."

The dog demon's gaze remained glued to the black board with last weeks' notes still written in the corner. She recognized her name above the answer to a question, but she couldn't read it. Conversations buzzed around her, yet she could only pick out a few words here and there.

She looked to him, bit her lip, and stared forward. Maybe coming back to school before she could understand her own language was a bad idea. Oh hindsight, how loathsome you could be.

The bell rang. Mr. Morooka broke into the school day with his usual pointless chomping rage about how much he detests the unappreciative brats at this school. A test was thrown to each student, and Yu, Yukiko, Yosuke, and Chie all realized with dread that they hadn't studied nearly enough all weekend. The only two who didn't seem to suffer too much were Yu and Yukiko.

Yosuke snapped a pencil in frustration.

However, the one who sweated in horror the most was obvious. Chie could hardly remember what happened last week, let alone test content, and the characters on the page made very little sense. Thanks to her friend's training, she could pick out meanings here and there, but nothing remotely close to what she needed. Her heart pounded heavily as she grabbed chunks of hair in her fist. The pencil quivered in her grip above the first question. _I don't know this. _Panic-fueled thoughts froze her concentration._ I don't know this at all! What does this say? I can't read this! How am I supposed to pass a test if I can't even write more than my own name?_ Her hold over the change skill began to slip._ What am I going to do? I can't fail. I can't let anyone know what happened..._

Her train of frantic thoughts ceased when she felt a comforting pressure cover her hand. She stared from Yukiko's hand to the back of her head. Her friend continued writing in her answers, facing forward, even as she tried to calm chie down. Oddly, it was working. This must be what it's like for the fox demon whenever Yu needed to keep him from going over the edge, like yesterday at the gas station. She remembered the way he'd instantly relaxed and accepted it like a warm blanket. Is that was Yukiko was doing to her now? Her friend already had ways of convincing her not to react on pure instinct alone. This could be the same thing, but to a much, much stronger degree.

Yukiko moved her hand back to her own desk without a sound.

She'd already had a bond with her best friend since they were kids –having met over a puppy of all things. The irony wasn't lost on her at all. Chie exhaled at stared at her paper. Hopefully things would start to make sense soon.

Hopefully.

* * *

**Next Scent: Relaxing Hot Springs**


	17. 17th Scent: Relaxing Hot Springs

**((Wow, this one took forever! I'm not really happy about this chapter. For some reason, it was difficult to write. I'm sorry for the wait. I wish I could blame it on life -which happens- but the truth is I just couldn't decide on a way to end this chapter. I also kept getting distracted with other ideas that won't appear until later, writing multiple pages that may or may not be included. I lost sight of this chapter for a while. But now it's back, and it's finished, so enjoy the next installment. I'll try to be a little faster on posting chapters. Good for you for sticking with this little story that's becoming not-so-little.**

**Here's a question: What do you think of the animal demon 'verse? Which one is your favorite character and why? Also, who do you think is the bad guy? I'd love to see what your speculations are. **

**It seems you guys are getting antsy for some action, so the next chapter will bring us back to the joy of the TV world. I've been playing P3P, so that's taken up some time, but also educated me to the game side of this world rather than just the anime side (which was my only exposure before playing a few hours of P4 and P3. My P4 card is as a friend's house. I really need to get back there.))**

* * *

_That Friday after school..._

The Midnight Channel failed to show itself for a week, and the team found no sign of Mitsuo around town. Thankfully, no reports had crossed the news about bodies hanging upside down from telephone poles. Inaba was back to being a quiet, sleepy town. Maybe it was finally over.

Either way, Naoto had made it a point to keep a close watch on Namatame's activities during the week, so she'd taken to staking out the delivery company's office after school. She'd sit in a tree nearby every day watch him come and go. Rise and Kanji came by near dinner time with some take-out from Aiya's Chinese restaurant. "I brought your favorite," she'd smile as she'd hold up a plastic bag. Naoto's spirits always lifted whenever Kanji joined them for dinner. He'd sit crosslegged on the grass by her tree and slurp up his noodles and beef in relative silence. His presence made her feel like she could capture that one elusive, crucial clue to this case about who the dog demon's Bonded was. The two would eat mostly in silence, but occasionally there would be some light conversation between them. The pig-tailed girl always wore a smile. Sometimes the cat demon found it to be refreshing on these long evenings waiting for Namatame to return from a delivery. Naoto would tell them what she'd learned that day.

Each day brought the same predictable movements: Namatame would climb into his truck, check the jobs he had listed for the day on a clip board, set it on the side seat, close the door and drive away. When he returned, he would double check the clip board, and walk back inside. He'd rarely leave after that, which lead the little cat demon to believe he lived on the premises.

Mitsuo came by twice during the week. She followed him every time back to his apartment where he'd remain for the rest of the night. No one else came to see the delivery truck driver at all. Namatame's life was void of visitors. Although he saw people every day on his routes, Naoto thought she'd never seen anyone more alone. He reminded her of Adachi in that respect, and even Narukami. Though both were always surrounded by people, they would each smile with the same phony facade, as though they watched the world from behind a pane of glass: part of it, yet separate. She wondered if Namatame's smile was the same. She pitied him despite his involvement with the third demon from her box.

Her phone buzzed in her jacket pocket as the setting sun cast the last of its golden hue over the town. She was thankful she'd discovered technology still functioned when it changed with her command. Her navy-blue tail swished lazily as she opened the message. It was from Yukiko Amagi.

[Come to the Amagi Inn as soon as you can. It's important.]

Thinking it to be a warning, she pocketed the phone and slid down the tree trunk with her claws. She touched down lightly, and within three seconds, was waking away in her human form. Her mother had told her she could start carrying a gun as soon as she completed her training in the Inaba police department's shooting range. If there was anything wrong at the Inn, she hoped it wouldn't be one of those cases where a threat fed by a firearm wasn't needed.

The sun had set by the time she reached the ancient Amagi Inn. Not much of the old building had been upgraded on the surface aside from a better television in the bar, and wifi in each room. It was a slice of old Japan famous for its hot springs, and Hoshi Takeyama's cooking. Or so she had read. She'd never actually been here before. In truth, there were lots of places in Inaba she'd never set foot in because all of her time was spent studying at the station. The Yamano and Konishi case was the first long-term she'd been on.

No sooner had she walked through the front door than Yukiko came rushing around the corner.

"Good, you're here!"

"What's wrong? I came as soon as I—Wah?!"

The taller girl snatched Naoto's wrist and pulled her quickly through the hall.

"Yukiko!" Naoto fought to keep up with her long-legged stride. Normally, her upperclassman was quiet, reserved, and well mannered. For a moment, she wondered if her friend had been possessed by a spirit or something.

"Chie!" Yukiko pulled open the door to one of the rooms. Directly behind it, as if waiting, stood her accomplice. Chie yanked her inside and quickly shut the door.

For a second, a ribbon of panic flared through Naoto. "What's going on? Will someone answer me?!" Soon after, the sound of a familiar voice headed her demand. The panic washed away.

"Sorry about the 'level twelve mystery,' but the girls figured there'd be no other way to get you here." Kanji stepped out of a room joined with the one they were in.

"Kanji?" Naoto narrowed her eyes. "What's the meaning of this? Is this your doing?"

"Calm your fur. It's just a party."

"A...party?" Naoto suddenly realized the three girls wore long robes. The flury of the moment must have blinded her to that important detail.

Rise joined them, looking cheerful in her robe and house slippers. "Well, more of a gathering than a party." She dug an article of clothing from her bag on a chair and tossed it to the detective prince. "You're a small, right? I had to guess, so I hope I got the right size."

Naoto held up the small robe like it was made of moldy cheese. "What am I supposed to do with this?"

"You wear it, silly!" Rise snatched the hat away, exposing Naoto's navy-blue ears.

"Hey!" She made a futile swipe for her favorite piece, and cursed being vertically impaired.

Rise continued to play keep-away with the clothing accessory. "After the last week with all the searching and the stake-outs, and coming up with no leads, we all thought we could use a night to unwind." She planted her hand on Naoto's head." You, especially."

Naoto's ears dipped backward slightly in irritation. "Lose the hand, or lose...the hand."

Rise's smile faded. Taken aback, she slipped her hand away and let the angry cat demon be.

"We probably could have found a better way to get you here, but this sounded more fun. Haven't you ever been invited to a party before?" Chie asked.

"Why would I? I'm here to adapt to living as a Human, and solve this case with the third animal demon. I can't remember much beyond the past month, so if there were any parties in my history, I wouldn't know."

All three girls and Kanji stared at her in disbelief for a long, uneasy moment. "That's so sad," Yukiko pressed her hand over hear own heart. "You don't even know how old you are?"

Naoto sighed. "I appreciate what you guys are trying to do, but this-"

"-Is the best damned idea ever. So shut up and accept it." Kanji stood over the cat demon. "Humans hang out. It's what we do. If you want to adapt, then call this a learning experience." He stretched his arms over his head. "I'm gonna see if Yu and the Village Idiot showed up yet. Just, uh...try to enjoy yourself a little?" He knew what would happen next, and needed to leave the changing-of-Naoto to the professionals.

His words left her speechless, and oddly with an urge to comply. Even when her mother told her to go to sleep, or not to bother the other detectives at the station, she never felt this way. However, she always made an exception to bug the crap out of Adachi whenever possible, though. She turned back to the three girls staring her down like she was the latest super sale at Junes, and slid a foot back.

"Chie?" Yukiko folded her arms. "Would you kindly do the honors?"

Chie stepped forward waring a mischievous grin. Her tail and ears were completely visible. "Make this easy on yourself and just get dressed." Her brown eyes locked on her target. "We only have an hour to use the hot springs

Hot springs meant 'water.' They had to be crazy if they thought she'd willingly jump into a giant steaming pool of her arch nemesis. Her eyes snapped open sharply as the attacking dog demon pounced.

The room exploded in chaos.

"Stop moving so I can catch you!" Chie vaulted over a chair, knocking it over.

"That's not making this better!" Naoto shot back. Energy coiled around her at her thought.

"She's changed size! She's under the couch!" Rise exclaimed.

"Not for long she ain't!" With teeth bared in mirth at the chase, she joined the other on her own terms. A quick bounce around the furniture, and she'd cut the cat demon off on the other side.

"Now she's under the table!"

"You're making a big deal out of this, Naoto. Hot springs are relaxing." She tried, but Yukiko's attempt couldn't stand against the cat demon-versus-dog demon chase.

"They're made of water! There's not way you're gonna-Ah!" Naoto hissed as Chie's small demon form slammed her to the floor and pinned her arms to the tatami mat. "Let go!" If she could free one hand, she could claw her way out of this fiasco.

Chie struggled to keep her pinned to the tatami, sliding a wary glance to the curved claws extended from the cat demon's hands. Because she sat on the other's chest, the tiny sharp daggers on her toes couldn't reach. "Call it a chance to work through your fear. I almost drowned in that hot spring and I'm still going in. Man up, Detective Prince."

"I don't wanna!" Naoto meowed loudly.

Yukiko dropped to her hands and knees next to the two small animal demons. "Hoshi's making dinner for everyone. There's going to be California rolls."

The fight in her wavered. "...California rolls?"

The older girl exhaled in relief that the little cat-girl had calmed down. "Yes. And lots of food. She'll have it ready when we're done with the hot springs."

Naoto's tail flicked as she considered all the pros and cons of complying with their wishes. Honestly, she was a little tired, and could use the rest. Plus, a good meal didn't sound so bad. Maybe she could withstand a few grueling moments around water in order to enjoy what would most likely be a very, very tasty meal. She stopped struggling. "Fine. You get five minutes. Now get off me!" She hissed at Chie.

The other 2nd year student stood and returned to her normal human self. It still took a fare amount of energy to do so, but after practicing for a week, she'd become a little better.

Naoto transformed, and –still frowning—undressed and put the robe on. She tied the belt around her waist. If she was going to do this, there'd better be a feast waiting when she got back.

Moments later, the four of them entered the outdoor hot springs. Everyone stepped into the water with sighs of contentment. Except for Naoto, who lingered near the edge out of obligation, staring scrupulously at her mortal enemy.

"Come on it! The water's great." Chie dunked under water, than shot back up, happily shaking water from her hair and ears.

Naoto grimaced at the shower of water droplets and wiped them from her face. "And now I smell like a wet dog."

'C'mon, I know you'll like it. It feels wonderful." Rise whined. "You said 5 minutes."

She did make a promise. Regretting even opening her mouth, Naoto carefully slipped one foot into the water as though she were dipping her toes into a bubbling vat of lard. It was warm, and something within the water tingled on her skin. Maybe a few minutes of this wouldn't hurt. She risked standing ankle high on the first step, and took a breath for one more step, when...

The quick thumping of feet against the floor outside stabbed into her hearing. An excited laugh accompanied it, followed by a 'woosh' of energy that could only belong to one other creature in Inaba. Her eye twitched. One second later, her bravery of attempting the hot springs shattered.

"Hot springs! Hot springs! Hot springs! Woohoohoo!" Yosuke sprinted into the room with his ears and tail pushed back by the wind of his speed, and leaped high into the air. He curled into a rust and white furred ball and canon-balled the water with a loud 'sploosh!'

Naoto cried out as the force of it drenched her. For someone that small, he made an uncannily huge splash.

Yosuke resurfaced. "Oh yeah! This is great." It was then that he noticed the three girls in the pool were staring at him, and each wearing an expression of either shock or outright anger. He blinked at them as he tread water. The liquid and steam covered them, but he was sure they weren't wearing anything else. A small smile barely began to curl up the edges of his mouth.

The four—including Naoto—screamed at once. "GET OUT OF HERE!"

"You little pervert!" Yukiko covered herself.

"Yosuke!" Rise was disgusted, but couldn't bring herself to throw him out of the water. "Oh, I can't kick out something that cute."

"I can," Chie snarled as she sloshed through the water over to the animal demon.

Yosuke felt the water around her cool as she approached.

Enraged, she grabbed him by the tail and hauled him out of the water. "Heerrraaaah!" She ignored his yelp of pain and surprise as she launched him across the room like a shotput right at the open door.

Yu ran in just in time to play catch. "Ah!" The impact slammed him hard to the floor.

"Peeping is a crime!" Naoto yelled.

Stunned, he rolled with the fox demon just in time to avoid getting a face full of a wooden bucket chucked by the girls.

"Narukami?!" Yukiko gasped. "You, too?! Ah! Get out!"

"Retreat!" He scrambled to pull the door closed right after another bucket hit the back wall.

He'd chased his excited friend down the hall trying to stop him, but hadn't expected to have said friend literally thrown back into his face. "I said the _indoor_ hot springs."

Yosuke clutched the base of his tail in pain and uttered something that might have been an explanation for his actions in his language, but it was hardly intelligible. This was the first spring he could smell.

Yu had just spoken to Kanji in the lobby to get their room number, so he set the fox-boy down and moved quickly away from the springs to avoid any further attacks. The complaints of his friend waddling behind him drifted around them, like he suffered from a bad case of saddle sores. It was his own fault. Maybe this would teach the fox-boy to look first before leaping into anything. He quickly settled in to the robe supplied by the inn, and poured himself a cup of tea.

Yosuke changed out of his wet clothes carefully, and into the oversized robe that acted more like a blanket. He flopped face first onto a pillow with a drawn out whine. "My tail."

Yu searched the room for a first aid kit, found one in the bathroom, and tended to his injured animal demon. "You kinda asked for it." He said flatly. He set half of a pain killer on the pillow next to him along with a small paper cup filled with water.

The little fox picked up the broken pill in one hand and turned it over curiously.

"It'll stop the pain." He explained. The bottle said to give half of one to a child, but of course, everything was a guessing game when it came to creatures that weren't supposed to exist.

Yosuke yelped loudly.

"Sorry. Your fur got stuck on the adhesive."

Yosuke crunched up the pill, though the flavor made him scrunch up his face in disgust. "Yuuuuuch!" He quickly chugged water, and murmured an argument against anyone willingly asking to get hurt.

Kanji stepped through their door a few minutes later and slid it closed. "Man, the girls are pissed. What happened?" He eyed Yosuke sitting on a bed pallet with a bandage wrapped around the base of his tail. He looked like he was about to cry, or already did.

"I swear I didn't know they were in there. Something covered up their scent." Yosuke muttered.

Kanji's fists clenched in rage. "You didn't see anything, did you, you little punk?"

The other eyed his bare feet, focused on his power, and returned to Human form –still staring at his feet. "Not even a nip. Nothing good ever happens!" He flopped forward into the pillow. Pain throbbed through his tail, deliberately kept visible with his ears. "Ow."

Yu took a sip of his tea. "It was probably the minerals in the water. This pamphlet says they're supposed to have a cleansing, medicinal affect, so it could have masked their smell."

Kanji changed into his robe, and glanced at the other guest. "You're dressed already? Man, you settled in fast."

Yu sipped his tea and reclined in the chair. "It's not often I get to enjoy something this nice. I'm making full use of my experience here."

"Knock yourself out. I'm taking the long way to the indoor springs," Kanji opened the door and put on the house slippers. "It's safer that way." He closed it behind him.

Yu headed for the door, slipping a glanced back to the sullen animal demon. "Now you have a reason to use the spring. You coming?"

The other grumbled, but stood. He hoped these magical waters held restorative healing powers for a strained tail.

* * *

After a relaxing and restorative soak in the hot springs –each one taking their turn in both the indoor and outdoor venues, the group met up back in their joined rooms. They left the door open between them so they could push the table from the other room into the girls area. Apparently, Rise had a game idea after dinner, and needed the extra space in the boys' room for her plan. She wouldn't say what it was, but did promise it would be fun. Eating here would be safer than the main hall, or a private dining room where the walls were actually paper thin. At least here, the animal demons could be themselves.

The pamphlet Yu read from was correct after all, because Yosuke's tail no longer felt like someone had run over it with a car.

The three guys staked out a table near the balcony door to play a round of poker –or rather, teaching Yosuke how to play-, and the four girls rested in chairs around the room. Everyone had changed back into their normal clothes. Room service was kind enough to clean them while they were out, at the request of the manager's daughter.

Yukiko held up an open fan to get everyone's attention, and waited for the conversations to settle down. "Thanks for coming, everyone. I'm glad you could make it."

"I've never been in here before now," Yosuke said to no one in particular. "It's neat, and it feels old. Like, really old." He eyed the ceiling, struck with a sudden idea. "Like yokai live here, too."

"There's no such things as yokai," Naoto stated.

"Like you'd know in the month we've been here," Yosuke put his cards down.

Kanji slammed his palm over them, jolting the other back in his chair. "You're not supposed to show your entire hand, you idiot!"

Yu calmly folded his cards. There was no way he could beat the clueless fox's royal flush.

Yukiko hummed lightly in that lilting way of hers. "Maybe there are. It's been in my family for generations, so it is pretty ancient." She leaned back on her hands. "Who know what went on here in all those years? I wouldn't be surprised if some of my ancestors still came by to pay us a visit."

The fox demon's gaze flicked from corner to corner, looking anxiously for anything creepy lurking in the corners and crevasses. "Then," his voice quivered, "...something could be watching us.. right now, ...and we wouldn't even know it."

The room thickened with silence, peppered only by the light needling of a new rain storm outside.

Chie's hand planted itself on her friend's shoulder. "Booooo-wahahaha!"

"WAH!" Yosuke's ears and tail fluffed out, and even his hair stood on end.

She chuckled and settled back onto her cushion. "You're so easy."

He bared his teeth and stood. "That wasn't funny!"

"Oh, um, I'm sorry, but that reminds me," Yukiko turned to her friend accepting the boy's challenge through stares. "I think there has to be an apology here, if you please. From both of you."

"What? Why? That's not fair! She hurt me, and I'm supposed to say 'I'm sorry?' For what?"

Naoto's eyes bore straight through his head. "Peeping."

"...I swear, I didn't know—" He paused, then sighed. They were his friends, and he'd learned from Yu that if you wanted to keep the peace, sometimes you had to bow to someone else in order to move on and drop the subject, even if you were right. He grit his teeth. "I'm sorry."

Satisfied, Yukiko's attention next went to her long-time friend and let an insistant smile delicately paint her face. "Well, Chie?"

The dog demon's victorious smirk vanished. "Huh? Me? No way! He's the one who tried to get an eye full of the four of us." She folded her arms tightly across her chest.

Rise gestured loosely at the bandage. "You were kinda rough on him."

She hadn't meant to be that brutal, but Chie had to admit the fury of the moment ran away with her. Anger management continued to be a life-long issue constantly battled. Kung Fu helped to channel that emotion. She was much more in control than she was as a child. The others saw her eye twitch at the effort to press down her pride. "I'm sorry I threw you out the door by your tail." She muttered.

Again, the room swelled with an uncomfortable silence.

"Now that that's over," Naoto let her tail rest over her lap. "I was promised food for my troubles tonight."

"That's how they got you in here?" Yosuke arched an eyebrow at her. "Yu just told me what a hot spring was, and I wanted to see one for myself. There's not much to do in this town. One month of living here, and I already feel like I've seen everything. Except a hot spring. But now I have. And now I'm bored again." Yosuke flopped onto the couch on his stomach. His tail still ached, so he tried to stay off of it. "So like you. "

She leaned back to look up at him with a out-turned ear. "No, that's not how they convinced me to come over."

"Hm. When we were in the box, giving you a handful of food always worked to keep your opinion to yourself."

She eyed him carefully. "You remember that?"

"It comes and goes." He muttered idly.

"So, why are we all here?" Yu put the train-wrecked topic back on its original track.

Yukiko smiled brightly and opened her mouth to explain when Rise leaned on the table with a sudden outburst. "It's a party for those two."

Yukiko eased her reason in smoothly without missing a beat. She was thrilled that her plan seemed to be working. "Since you can't remember much before you got two got here, and there's no way to tell how old you are, Rise, Kanji, and I thought today could be sort of like a...birthday for you guys."

Yosuke sat up, on ear turned slightly up in curiosity. "What's a 'birthday?'"

"Hold on," Kanji held up a hand. "You don't know what a birthday is?"

This time it was everyone elses' turn to gawk at the two in disbelief. "You're kidding, right?" Chie broke the silence. "How can you not know what a 'birthday' is?"

Naoto shrugged. "Animal demon's don't really celebrate like that. At least, I don't think they do. The books never specified, and there's no one here we can really ask." Naoto scratched at her ear in thought, though she couldn't recall the fact from any personal experience. Most of her information regarding her kind came from tomes in the library, or the internet. Yosuke, however, still wore a blank expression.

Yu spoke up next. "A birthday is a day other people celebrate you coming into this world. It's how you keep track of your age based on a single solar orbit."

"I see, then..." Yosuke thought back to the calendar, "Ours would be the day we came here from the Red World. That would be...April 12th."

Yu snapped his gaze to the other for a sharp moment. That was the day he'd arrived from the city. If it was a coincidence, it was remarkably well executed for an accident.

Suddenly, Naoto leaned forward with wide eyes. Both ears turned forward, and she sniffed the air. "I smell noodles."

The door slid open to reveal the friendly face of Hoshi Takeyama smiling broadly and pushing a small cart adorned with trays and bowls. "Would anyone care to give me a hand with these plates?"

The animal demons stared in shock as Yu threw a spare robe over Yosuke's head –to his complaint, and Kanji pressed Naoto's hat further onto her head to hide her ears. Both immediately tried to conceal the others' blatantly obvious non-human attributes. Except for Chie, who bounced up and sniffed at a plate. She hadn't bothered to use a scrap of energy to hide her ears and excitedly wagging tail.

Yukiko was up in flash with her hands held out defensibly to her friends to try to explain. "It's ok. Hoshi already knows."

The Amagi Inn's head chef chuckled. "She told me about you two –the fox demon and the cat demon—, so there's no need to worry. Help me set everything onto the tables before you dive into your food."

Everyone got up to help. Naoto eyed her cautiously before snagging a plate and sitting down at the low table with it.

It didn't take long for them to forget about the reality of another knowing about their secret, and focus in on the delicious meals in front of them.

Dishes of curry rice, udon soup, fried wontons, yakisoba, takoyaki, steamed vegitables, chicken, beef, sushi, and tofu covered every inch of the table. The room filled with the tantalizing aromas of the massive meal. However, it seemed Hoshi had cooked for large parties of teenagers before, because no matter the amount of food, each plate quickly saw two to three more helpings of each dish.

Yosuke avoided the tofu like it was made of dirt, and stuffed as many cherry tomatoes into his mouth as he could. He reached 12 with a sound of victory around the food. Chie slapped him on the back, making him spit cherry tomatoes everywhere. Naoto cleaned off the California rolls plate before anyone else had a chance to touch it, and she kept snagging gyoza from Kanji's plate. Though he complained, he never stopped her. Chie made sure the steak bowl stayed on her side of the table, and Yu slurped up the longest udon noodle he'd ever seen in his life successfully without using his chopsticks. After battling that beast, he felt like he could do anything.

"Hey," Rise searched the table with her chopsticks suspended above her plate. "I had a curry pan here. Where did it go?"

Naoto swallowed her last bite. "I ate it."

The group laughed, stole food from each others plates, told jokes, both good and bad, stared blankly at Yukiko during one of her laughing fits, and ate until they were stuffed.

Yosuke leaned back and patted his belly in contentment. "I could get used to birthdays. We should have them more often. Like once a week."

"Birthdays only come once a year, Yosuke," Rise chuckled at his disappointed frown. "You'd weight a ton if we ate like this every week."

Kanji belched.

Yu wrote the number '10' on a napkin and held it up.

"Kanji, really!" Rise scolded. "At least say 'excuse me.'"

"Are you kidding?" He smirked. "In France, that's a compliment to the chef."

Rise didn't release her dagger stare. "In the rest of the world, it's rude."

When everyone had eaten, Yukiko cleared the plates and set them on the cart.

Hoshi set a medium sized round cake in the middle of the table. It bore the letters "YY YC KN R" drawn in green icing.

"What's this?" Chie blinked bewildered at the unexpected dessert. She hadn't heard her best friend mention anything about a cake.

"It looks amazing!" The sentimental side of Yukiko entertained the happy image of two joyful animal demons digging into the spongy deliciousness of a chocolate cake with creamy icing. Her delight was only tempered by one question. "Why are there so many letters?"

Hoshi lit a different colored candle stuck at each letter. "Every birthday needs a cake, but I realized this wasn't just a party for the animal demons. Honestly, dear, I've never seen you as happy as you've been in the past week."

"So...," Kanji held onto the word as he searched for the right way to finish the thought.

The candle light danced in Yosuke's wide eyes. It was beautiful. "What does this mean?"

"I think it means...," Yu tried to answer, but couldn't form a logical reason. He looked to each of them: Naoto's intelligent, unblinking yet curious eyes, Kanji's strength, Yukiko's gentle demeanor, Rise's bubbly charm, and Chie's powerful tenacity, and Yosuke's loyalty and carefree attitude. He let himself become immersed in the moment, allowed it to surround him, and held onto it, knowing it would stay with him forever.

Yukiko let her smile shine through her eyes when she realized what Hoshi had done for them. "Today's the day we become a family."

* * *

**Next Scent: A Night To Remember  
**


	18. 18th Scent: A Night To Remember

**((I know you've all been itching for some battle, but never fear. I will get there. Please bear with a little more character and plot development. If you all have a favorite character and why, let me know. :) ))**

* * *

_That night in their room at about 11pm..._

"It's still raining." Yosuke whined to himself in disappointment and sat back on he heels. He squatted in front of the balcony door to stare through the thick sheets of rain like a child yearning to go play outside, even if it was nearly eleven at night. It sure rained a lot in Inaba. He wondered if the rest of the world was the same. His tail stopped moving to assist in his balance, and he lolled backward to roll across the floor to his bed.

Thunder rumbled softly beyond the walls. Yosuke fixated his stare at the balcony door as lightning strobed weakly across the sky. He knew he was safe inside the walls of the old Inn from its threat. Yet even though it couldn't physically reach him, the images it sprang to life in his mind were just as bad. The lightning's flicker brought the shadows in the corners to life. He glanced to the bed roll where his best friend snoozed peacefully on his side. "Hey, Yu? You awake?"

"No," the muffled answer was barely audible.

He continued as if the other had responded otherwise. "You...you don't believe that there might actually be a ghost or a yokai here, do you?"

"Oh come on," Kanji turned over under his blanket with an irate mumble in his pillow. "We've been over this already."

Yosuke frowned, still not convinced. "But what if Yukiko was right? I mean, she did say lots of things happened here in the past. And didn't the news say that Miss Yamano stayed here the night she died?"

Kanji lifted his head at a lightning strike. "She wouldn't be dumb enough to put us in the same room."

"This room isn't haunted," Yu mumbled. "Go to sleep."

"R-right," The words quivered on Yosuke's lips. He curled the blanket around him. "You're probably right." He rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling. If there was anything dark or malicious like an evil spirit, it wouldn't be able to hurt them. After all, a special he watched on the paranormal a while back said that ghosts didn't have a body unless they took someone elses in a motion the researcher called a 'possession.' He pulled the blanket up over his nose and hoped none of the spirits here knew about that little trick. His ears twitched.

Something caught his eye at the top of the door from another lightning flash heading more thunder. He sat up and squinted to get a better view. It looked like someone had tacked a slip of paper over the door. The lack of sufficient light made it difficult to read the black brush strokes dripping down the surface. He wondered how he'd managed to miss seeing this the whole night. "Kanji?"

The younger student growled menacingly. "I swear to God, you little shit, if you wake me up one more time—"

"What's that?" Yosuke pointed.

Exhausted, though curious, both Yu and Kanji sat up to look where the fox demon's finger stabbed the air.

Yu studied it for a long moment. Funny how he'd missed this earlier. "It's a spirit ward. An Ofuda. We have one of of these made of wood at home." He'd seen that particular ofuda over the door of every house they moved to throughout his entire life. It was supposedly given to his parents by an old man just before he was born, saying it would protect the child within from the effects of harmful spirits. He'd brought it up to one of his teachers at the age of 10, and was told that lots of families had one out of tradition usually involving the name of an ancestor or a weaker god. The teacher explained that the old man must have had severe concern for his safety if he was bold enough to ask for protection from the great god, Izanagi. His father had stuck it into Yu's bag at the last minute as he was leaving the house to come to Inaba, and gave him strict orders to put it over the door when he arrived. Yu had done as his father asked. It now occupied a hook above his bedroom door at the Dojima home.

The memory of the Ofuda suddenly cleared up the name of his Persona. Although he didn't know much else about his new power, at least knew what part of his psyche it mined to obtain its name.

This one in the Amagi inn besought the protection of the goddess, Amaterasu. To ask one of the higher gods for protection must mean the owners of the inn didn't want to take any chances. That worried him a little.

"They're asking a goddess to protect the residents of this room, we'll be fine." He rolled over and closed his eyes.

"You're right. Yeah, you're probably right." Believing in something you couldn't see was foolish. Yosuke repeated that to himself over and over as the storm crawled closer. No matter how loudly he chanted in his head, he couldn't relax enough to fall asleep. He sighed, pushed back the blanket and stood. Maybe a walk would do him some good. Deftly, he tiptoed to the door and slipped through, closing it quietly so as not to wake up his friends.

He shoved his fists into the pockets of his pajama pants and padded barefoot through the halls toward the game room. Light talking muffled from one of the rooms by another couple who couldn't sleep, but other than that, he was alone in his world of insomnia. The night was crisp, and very open, as though he were the only one in it.

Something darted across the hall behind him. The sense of it plucked a vibe of discord down his spine. He turned to catch who was behind him, but saw no one. The hall was empty. Still, he stared through the dim light waiting for something to appear. He sighed when his patience yielded nothing.

"Jeeze, get it together, fox." he berated himself in a whisper.

The recreation room was empty when he walked in. A single lamp tried in vain to light the surroundings from it's lonely place at a table near a window. He moved past the ping pong and television tables to a vending machine against the wall and slipped some change in for a Cielo Mist. It clanged too loudly against the bottom of the machine. He grabbed it from the drawer, popped it open, and sipped.

The rustle of clothing snapped his attention back to the doorway just in time to see a shadow slip past his peripheral. His eyes glued to the doorway. Maybe Yu was right about the ofuda protecting their room, but there was nothing above this threshold. Whatever spirits lived in the Amagi Inn could enter unhindered. It could attack him alone, quickly stealing his voice so he couldn't scream for help, and no one would know about it. Maybe it was the ghost of Miss Yamano seeking revenge for her death. The likely hood that she could come after him heightened because he was possibly staying in her old room. If she tried to possess him, could he fight her off? How do you fight something you can't see?

What if it was Saki's ghost? If she'd found out that he was from the world that had taken her life, she could be coming to seek her revenge out on him.

Yosuke's grip tightened around the can, slightly crinkling the aluminum. The air in the room suddenly thickened. Footsteps shuffled down the hall slowly as though the one approaching was too weary to pick up their feet. Maybe it wasn't a ghost. It could be a yokai come to eat him, or a Shadow that found its way to this world through a TV like the silver-haired man had done. What if this monster had sharp, jagged teeth, horns, or hands big enough to crush him into the floor?

Something high pitched groaned lightly. It was here. It was coming for him. Somehow it had found him, and it was going to eat him like it tried to do in the Red World. His mind blanked. How did he summon that wind power again?

Thunder and lightning shot through the room.

The shuffling stopped.

Yosuke held his breath.

Two pointed ears peeked into the room. "Yosuke?" It murmured sleepily, sounding surprised that someone else was here.

_It knows my name! Ah! _"Don't eat me!" He chucked the half-finished can of soda at the ghost.

Naoto ducked quickly, narrowly avoiding a can to the forehead. "What is wrong with you?" She hissed softy.

He heaved a sigh of relief. "Good. It's just you."

"You nearly took my head off." She yawned as she walked in and put a few coins into the vending machine. A canned green tea rolled out with the same noisy 'clang.'

"Sorry. I thought you were a ghost." He looked at her sheepishly.

Her face betrayed only a hint of annoyance. "There's no such thing. Also, you realize solid objects wouldn't cause damage to something of the ethereal nature, right? Why are you up?"

"The storm is keeping me awake. Why are you up?"

"I have a headache and caffeine usually helps." She popped the top of the can and sipped the cool liquid.

"You sure it's not the rain?" He stuck in a couple of coins for another soda and drank from it when the machine dispensed the can.

She flicked a cold stare at him above the can as she took another sip.

The victory was celebrated silently in his head as he took a seat in one of the overstuffed chairs at the table harboring the only light source. Lightning added its own throbbing luminescence to the room. He stared at the writing on his can of Cielo Mist. "I think I remember him a little; the third animal demon."

Naoto's ears turned forward to listen. She slipped into the chair across from him and set the can on the table. "Go on."

He sipped the cool drink. "He was in the box only a day loner than you were. He pretty much stayed on his side and I stayed on my side. I tried to talk to him a few times because I wanted company, but his answers were short, and he always stared, not blinking, like I had four ears. It was weird.

The other night, I had that nightmare again, only this time I could really see the dog demon clearly. His fur used to be all brown without that black ear, and I somehow know you and he were two of my first friends. We were out in that field playing Shadow Tag that day. I'd spoken to someone else—another fox, I think—before going outside." He smirked lightly. "I had to do some serious talking to get you to stop studying and play with us. At first you wouldn't join the game, but then you started getting into it and even got a couple of raccoons involved. It was so much fun. I think you were about to form your own team when the sky changed." He took a gulp of soda.

"Mitsuo was always kinda weird, even before the box," Naoto remarked. "I think."

Yosuke leaned back in a frustrated sigh. "I wish I knew why we can't remember anything. What's the point in burying our memories of our own world before the darkness hit?" He could go confront the gas station attendant, but his courage wasn't nearly where it should be to demand answers from someone who could command him without a name, keep him in an unbreakable box for a week, and hide his and the cat demon's memories. Someone wielding that much power could possibly change their mind about leaving him behind at the shrine and steal him back.

Both were silent long enough for the storm to close in. The clock on the wall ticked slowly toward 11:30.

He hated that nightmare, and had to clear his head to focus on something else. "No one's seen Mitsuo around town for a week, right? And you haven't seen him at all."

Naoto nodded once. "You're thinking he's not even in town?"

"What's if he went back to the TV world?"

Her long, dark-blue tail bumped against the seat idly. "He's after another victim. Why would he leave?"

"He could know he's being tracked and is hiding out."

It was a possibility she had to consider. "The only way to test that theory would be to go back there and look for him."

Neither animal demon wanted to have anything to do with that world again, and knew the other was thinking the same thing: Only go to the Red World as a last resort.

It was cold enough that he wished he had something warm to drink. "Do you think we can convince him stop?"

"If his bonded is ordering him to kidnap people, it might be a futile attempt. All of the books I've read about animal demons say it's nearly impossible to overcome a direct command."

"But he did get himself hurt trying to protect us against that shadow. He stopped it from making us its next meal. Plus, he was our friend." His voice remained serious, though soft. "We can't just turn our backs on him no matter what he did or who his bonded is. If he's being made to do this, it's not his fault."

Naoto frowned and shook her head. "He didn't look like he was fighting a command, Yosuke. He looked like he was enjoying it." She felt for her friend, and knew that he was trying to find some hope in this –as he always did. What little she did remember of their world included his annoying laugh. However, when she tried to picture those memories without it, a profound loneliness took over.

His jaw tightened with his decision. "Let's hope it's not too late to save him." He continued after finishing off the soda. "If we leave tonight, we can be back by morning."

The flaw in his idea was immediately easy to spot. "Too risky. We should meet up at Junes tomorrow and go through the TV there. Everyone will have gone home by then, so we'll have more time to search without raising any suspicions."

He could tell by her tone that simply suggesting going back was raising the fine hairs on her tail in trepidation. Their world was consumed and destroyed by something insidiously septic. They'd survived only because they were forcibly taken away by a stranger. "I'll tell Yu, and you tell your mom what we're planning."

Naoto tapped the top of her can of green tea with one claw. "No. They'll worry. We can use tomorrow as a scouting mission and be back before they know it. If we find him, then we come back and tell the others. We'll need them for back up."

"Sounds good. And then you'll tell your mom."

Naoto froze. She hadn't thought about her mother all day. "...Yes, of course."

The way she'd said it made it sound like she was checking off a box on a vanilla to-do list. For what they were going to attempt, she should be anxious for morning to come so she could contact her bonded. Over the past week, Yosuke had noticed odd, minute nuances from her regarding her relationship with her mother, but he never pressed her about them. It wasn't his place, after all. If she'd wanted to talk, she could come to him. Now he knew just by looking at her thoughtful expression as she gazed out the window that she never would.

"You're hardly ever home, Naoto. All week you've been staking out Namatame's place after school. When you do go home, it's late, or you go back to the station to sleep. And you seem o.k. With it." He only knew that last bit of information because she'd mentioned sleeping on a bed roll in the chief's –her father's- office enough times that some of the detectives thought she lived there, including Yu's uncle Dojima. "If I went that long without even talking to Yu, I'd go nuts."

"What are you trying to say?" She scrutinized his expression, looking for clues to where his meandering monologue was going.

"I...see...thing is..." He tiptoed around the words, trying to think of something that didn't sound too harsh or straight forward. It was a delicate topic that needed to be handled extremely carefully. After a few frustrating seconds, he voiced the only sentence short enough and simple enough to convey his concern. "I don't think your mother is your Bonded."

That wasn't the answer she was expecting. Her jaw went slightly slack. "Of course she is. She gave me a name at the station, then took me home. Who else could it be?"

He shrugged. "I dunno. But if she was, you wouldn't find excuses to stay away from your own home."

"I do not find excuses." Her snap response was as sharp as the rain needling the window. "I have a lot to accomplish with this case."

"How do you feel around her? Like, what goes through your head? What do you feel in your chest?"

Now she was more confused than irritated. "What do you mean? I feel normal."

"That's it? Just 'normal?'" His right ear cocked downward a twinge in curiosity.

Hers flattened enough to show him the irritation at his accusation. "What are you fishing for, Fox?"

He shrugged and stared outside as lightning flashed its warning that thunder would soon follow. "When I'm talking to my own parents, or Chie, or Yukiko, or anyone else, I feel good—normal, like you said. But it's not the same with Yu." He pushed the empty can aside. "I feel safe when he's around. The world becomes something I can handle. I sleep better, storms don't scare me as much, and I just feel... happy. Like...like..." he scrambled for the right analogy, and locked onto one that was familiar in his media-based life. "Like my HP and SP go back to a hundred. It's hard to describe. I just feel... whole, I guess. It doesn't matter where we are, as long as he's there, I'll be fine. Because I'm home."

She stayed silent, listening to him and searching for her own answers.

He continued, treading carefully. "Don't you feel anything like that with your mom?"

She opened her mouth to answer, but words refused to come out. Of course she loved her mother. Mrs. Shirogane taught her everything she knew about being a detective, instructed her on how to blend in with Humans, cared for her, let her come to the police station with her so she could learn from and help the members of the Inaba police force, and encouraged her to follow her heart. Because of her, Naoto wanted to bring honor to the prestigious Shirogane family name. Everything about that screamed 'Bonded.'

And yet the experiences the fox demon described were unique only to him –and maybe Chie. She'd never felt that level of connection with her mother at all.

Yosuke stretched with a loud yawn. "I'm going back to bed. I'll see you at Junes tomorrow. Good night."

"Good night." She stood with him, grateful to escape the awkward moment, and left. They moved quickly back to their rooms. Both carefully slid open their doors.

Naoto caught sight of Kanji's blond hair when the door opened. A pinpoint of warmth grew within her chest. Knowing he was right next door settled her nerves.

They entered the rooms and shut the doors.

Naoto pulled the blanket over her on her bed roll next to Rise, who was deep asleep. Chie was in Yukiko's room, so the two of them had the large space to themselves. Lately, she'd ignore that sensation whenever Kanji was around, because she couldn't explain it. After hearing Yosuke's observations tonight, she began to entertain the implanted idea that her mother truly wasn't her Bonded.

Yosuke curled up under the blanket to listen to the rain, and shut his eyes. He thought of Naoto and if she was thinking of the bomb he'd dropped on her. If he hadn't said anything, who knew how long she'd go before trying to figure out the identity of the one who'd truly given her a name. Living like that made him shudder. He didn't want to think about how lonely that must be.

And Yosuke hated being alone.

He fought for sleep for a few minutes before giving up. Within the drum roll bass of the storms thunder, he used his change skill, and curled into a ball on top of the blanket between Yu's feet. He rested his head on his tail and closed his eyes where sleep was finally able to take him, and where ghosts couldn't harm him.

* * *

_Just about midnight_...

"_Mom?"_

_The word came from him, though his voice held a higher timber like that of a child's. She remained at the back of the large training hall as though she hadn't heard him, and continued to slash at multiple thick standing bamboo pillars surrounding her at various heights. The blade of her katana whispered through each by the will of its graceful wielder. He stepped across the wooden floor toward her. _

_A solo bell chimed in the light afternoon breeze drifting in to the ancient training hall. He stopped, looking up at the wooden beams criss-crossing the ceiling high above in rays of golden sunlight. It wasn't the first time he'd been here, or even the twentieth. This old shrine was his mother's favorite place to train in her chosen martial art. It took some traveling to reach, and a long hike up stone steps as old as the mountain behind the building, but she would say it was worth the trip every time. It helped her focus. He called out to her again. _

_This time, she heard him and sheathed the weapon in one swift, controlled move. "Yu, honey." She faced him with a vibrant smile –a complete opposite of the serious mien she'd assumed seconds earlier. Her long black hair remained neatly coiled in a loose bun, though strands of it swept back by the breeze. Multiple clean cuts of bamboo clattered to the floor. "I thought you were outside playing."_

_Yu ran over and picked up one of the bamboo disks. His mother's blade left no imperfections on either surface. It was smooth and perfect, like her skill. He always found it amazing, since his mother was a Kenjutsu master. "It's perfect. Can I do that someday?"_

_She ruffled the silver hair of her seven-year-old son. "Of course you can, if you keep practicing. Let's see your kata."_

_Proud to show off his knowledge of Kenjutsu, he stuffed the bamboo piece in the pouch pocket of his light gray hoodie, and went through each one. His small feet moved in circles with careful steps, slicing an invisible sword through an invisible pillar of bamboo. She adjusted his arms and legs some, but seemed content when he'd finished the routine._

_She handed him a boken and took one for herself. "Do you remember the lesson from Wednesday?"_

_He nodded. It was three days ago, but still fresh in his mind. He held the training weapon in both hands. When she moved, he countered. Occasionally, he would try for a strike, but she would easily block. She stayed in complete control, teaching him how to read an opponent, and repeating her steps until he got it down. _

_After a while, the two bowed to each other. She took his weapon and hugged him. "Very good. You've been paying attention."_

_"I wanna compete with you someday." He stood as tall as he could just pushing the tail end of four feet high. _

_"I'd like that very much," her voice was soothing. "Now," it took on a more authoritative, but kind tone. "Get back into your ready stance. Watch how I twist with the motion of the blade at the same time keeping my balance at my center—"_

_"Mrs. Narukami?" An older gentleman's voice seamlessly interrupted from the doorway. It was pinched as though he spoke through a thin closed pipe, and slightly breathy. His most prominent feature was his long nose that resembled more of a beak than a human facial feature. _

_She straightened. "Yes?"_

_The old man stepped up to the training hall, but went no further than the threshold. He looked at it as though he were unable to pass. "I'm sorry to intrude on your training, but might I have a word with you, please?"_

_Yu stared at him for a long time. Even when the old man turned his squinty, beady yellow eyes onto him, he didn't flinch, or step back. Yu simply met that gaze as though accepting an unspoken challenge. The old man's solid stare sent a chill up his spine. He held his ground even though he couldn't shake the sense that the other peered right through him into his soul. _

_The old man seemed amused by the expressionless show of bravery, and smiled with hidden knowledge. _

_"Yes, of course." Yu's mother nodded._

_Curious, he stepped forward to follow her, but she stopped him. "Stay here, honey. I'll only be a moment."_

_He lingered back and watched the two at the doorway. It was impossible to hear what they were saying, but their postures assured him the old man was of no threat. Besides, his mother still wore her katana at her hip. If he was of any danger, he wouldn't be in one second. _

_A hint of confusion crossed her face, though she nodded once and beckoned her son over with a motion of her hand. He walked cautiously across the room. Each step was evenly paced, yet he had no desire to run. His mother placed her hand on his back when he reached her. _

_Yu stared expressionless at the old man. He wanted to know who he was and how he knew his mother. _

_She knew her son could get along with the other kids at his school when he needed to, and most of them seemed to like him, but he was hardly ever the one to initiate a conversation. From her experience, his classmates always came to him. She nudged him gently. "Go ahead. Introduce yourself."_

_Yu bowed in a general greeting as he was told. "My name is Yu Narukami. Nice to meet you." The formality rolled off his tongue as though he read from a text book._

_"A strong name." The old timer hummed with a raspy chuckle. It reminded Yu vaguely of plastic toys rattling in a thin paper cup. "You are getting big. How old are you now? Six?"_

_"Seven," Yu stated flatly. His silver-eyed gaze glued to the hunched shoulders of their visitor._

_The old man looked down his long nose at the youth. "You don't look away, or hide behind your mom when a stranger comes by, hm? That's a sign of bravery." He held up one boney finger. "Remember, boy: A fool is brave, but if he learns when to step back, he will become wise." _

_Yu blinked once. What did that mean? The only sign of discomfort showed itself in his tightly balled right fist. Something about this old buzzard seemed at a discord, like he was walking between the lines of normality, and a strange reality he could never understand. _

_The old man stood straight once more. "I must be going. It is always good to see your shining face, Mrs. Narukami." He bowed. "Until we meet again."_

_She met his farewell in kind with a smile._

_He watched the old man shuffle toward the ancient stairs down the mountain. With all those steps at that grade, he wondered how a person of his infirmity got up here in the first place. "Who was that?" _

_"Just an old friend," she said softly. "He comes around twice a year to see how you're doing. His visits are always short, but pleasant. Odd how he's never said his name. I suppose next time I will ask."_

_"Why would he care about me? I've never met him before." Yu's question held a serious tone. _

_She bent down to pull him into a hug, then let him go. "He's the one who gave us that Ofuda above the door just before you were born."_

_"Why did he do that?"_

_"Well," she adjusted his hoodie, and took his hand to walk casually through the old shrine's garden. "I was on my way home from the store late one night. It was cold, and my jacket barely covered my belly. I'd stopped for a moment to catch my breath when I heard him ask for some change for bus fair. He was alone at the bus stop, so I gave him what I had left in my pocket. He thanked me for my kindness, then withdrew that ofuda from his bag and handed it to me. He said Izanagi would protect you from spirits wishing to cause you harm." She paused by a koi pond. "I wasn't sure what to make of it, but I accepted his gift and went home. I ran into him again the next year and he inquired about you. He seemed satisfied that you were well and healthy. He bowed, smiled as though he'd been given something of great value, and left. It's been like that for the past seven years. I never know when he'll show up."_

_Yu watched the rust-red and white koi swim lazily in the pond. He didn't know that old man, and owed him nothing. If he did show up twice a year in the past, it must have been when Yu was preoccupied and not paying attention. Anyone with a nose that long would be difficult to forget. _

_One of the fish leaped majestically from the water Sunlight shimmered on its crimson scales. He wondered if he would ever be fast enough to catch it in mid air. _

The pounding of footsteps running past his room woke him. He yawned and tapped his phone. It's sharp, blinding light displayed the time, making him squint to read it. He turned it off, let his eyes readjust to the room, and listened to the storm outside. It was barely midnight. For a moment, he wondered why he would remember that one-time meeting with the the long-nosed man, though figured the conversation about the spirit ward must have triggered it.

Yu shuffled out from under the blanket, being careful not to wake the slumbering fox demon, and tucked his feet into the cozy house slippers supplied by the inn for its guests. A Sobay at this hour probably wasn't a great idea, but the strawberry pineapple tea sounded good right now. He pocketed some change and stepped out into the hall.

He tossed an empty can of Cielo Mist on the floor outside the recreation room into a trash bin without much thought, and headed for the vending machine. The plastic bottle of decaffeinated tea bumped against the retrieval slot. He untwisted the cap and gulped down the cool, refreshing liquid. Refreshed, Yu turned to head back out when the flat screen perched on the media table crackled to life.

The clock above it struck Midnight.

He set the drink on the ping pong table and watched as the staticky picture cleared. The image of a girl in a pink and white ball gown blew seductive butterfly kisses back at him.

"Hello there!" The image of a buoyant, bubbly Yukiko held a microphone in her right hand with 'Myonaka TV' stamped across the flag. "My name is Yukiko Amagi, and today, I'm gonna hunt me down a Stud Muffin!" A bullet ricochet sound affect accented her finger-gun. "Are you ready? C'mon, saddle up, and rein in your stud." She gestured broadly at a CG banner that flashed up on the screen. "It's Princess Yukiko's Hunt for Prince Charming!" The ebullient girl twirled in her flowing, cake-like skirts. "And I came prepared. My lacy unmentionables, they're ready to go, and so my heart." She patted the front of her puffy skirt with one gloved palm, then formed a heart in the air with both hands.

Yu stared transfixed at the screen, wide-eyed. He blinked once to check if he was still dreaming.

The girl continued. "See, I'm out to tame me a whole pack of the best studs there are. Well, time to go!" She winked at her viewers, spun on her dainty fuchsia heels, and skipping through the castle gate.

The camera pulled up to reveal the pointed rooftops of a red-tinted castle, then cut out completely. His stunned reflection in the dark screen replaced it.

It took a few stretched-out seconds to remember how to move his limbs.

That couldn't have been Yukiko. Being that exuberant, and outright flirtatious wasn't her style. Not to mention that dress –although figure flattering—would have never seen the light of day outside a Halloween party. He'd known her for a month, spent days with her, and never once did she utter any sentence remotely close to 'stud muffin' or 'lacy unmentionables.' If that was Yukiko, it was her mirror twin.

Just like Rise's Dark Diva.

He suddenly remembered a minor detail Naoto had mentioned a few days ago from the conversation she'd overheard between Mitsuo and Namatame. Mitsuo had said the girl his Bonded targeted smelled like strawberries.

Someone may as well have just punched him in the gut.

Yu screamed at his own body to move, abandoned the slippers, and bolted out of the recreation room as if his feet were on fire. He ran hard through the halls of the Amagi Inn toward her bedroom. Yukiko was with them mere hours ago, and none of their group had left the inn, so she had to be on the premises. If Mitsuo had somehow managed to get in and get by Chie, if he had taken her...

If he had taken her...

Yosuke ran out of their room just as Yu darted by. "Dude! I saw it! It woke me up. The TV turned on, and Yukiko was on it." He swallowed hard as they both ran. "Oh man. Does this mean she's like Rise? That she's-"

Yu's expression hardened. He didn't want that crushing sense in his chest to hold any truth, however it refused to be ignored. If the pattern continued the way it had been, then what he'd seen on the Midnight Channel spelled the worst.

Yukiko was the next victim.

* * *

**Next Scent: Yukiko's Castle**


End file.
